Russia’s first oil shipment of the year is navigating the Northern Sea Route to China, with more vessels expected to follow.

This 2,500-mile route, which passes through waters off the Siberian tundra, is usually used only during the summer when ice conditions are milder. However, Western sanctions and Houthi drone attacks in the Red Sea have made it a more attractive option as the shortest path between Russian and Chinese ports.

Last year, the route saw a record 36 million tons of cargo, with over half being super-chilled liquefied natural gas, according to Rosatom, the Russian energy company that operates the Northern Sea Route.

Despite the challenges, such as the need for icebreaker assistance, ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea have made this route a safer alternative. More Russian tankers may choose the Northern Sea Route to avoid violence and expedite deliveries.

The Shturman Ovtsyn is the first oil tanker to use this route this year and is already more than halfway to its destination. This journey is unusual for the tanker, which typically transports cargo from Gazprom Neft’s Arctic Gates terminal to Murmansk.

In late June, it loaded its cargo as usual but headed east into the Kara Sea, making its way to Rizhao, a port north of Shanghai. Here, it may undergo maintenance and deliver its load.

Three tankers from Russian tanker group Sovcomflot are expected in Murmansk by the end of the month. The NS Arctic and SCF Baltica, which used the route last year, are likely to head to China via Russia’s northern coast once loaded. For the SCF Baikal, this will be new territory.

Two more Sovcomflot tankers are en route from China to the Bering Strait and will travel west to Murmansk. The LNG-fueled tankers Korolev Prospect and Vernadsky Prospect, set for delivery this year on a 10-year charter to the Sakhalin 2 project, need upgrades before starting their new roles.

They may head to a Murmansk shipyard for these modifications and could carry cargoes back to China before beginning their new assignments.

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