A liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel from Russia’s Portovaya terminal, sanctioned since January, docked at the port of Beihai in southern China. It is the first shipment to directly link this facility, located in Leningrad Oblast, to China since the start of sanctioned LNG flows this summer.
The Valera arrived at the Tieshan terminal in Beihai on December 8 with a draft of 11.1 metres. The vessel had departed the vicinity of the Portovyy floating storage unit, which serves the Gazprom project, in late October for a six-week journey via the Cape of Good Hope. According to Commodities at Sea data, it is the 20th Russia-linked LNG tanker to call at Beihai since sanctioned flows began.
Shift in cargo origin
Until now, all Russian LNG shipments to Beihai originated exclusively from Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project in the Russian Arctic. The Valera marks a first by loading from Portovaya, a Gazprom-operated facility with a nameplate capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year, which began exports in September 2022.
The delivery comes amid tightening restrictions on Russia’s export routes. The seasonal closure of the Northern Sea Route, now passable only by Arc7-class LNG tankers, significantly limits winter shipments from Arctic LNG 2. Only the Christophe de Margerie, a specialised vessel, is expected to continue along this route in the coming weeks.
Impact of sanctions on Portovaya
Since the beginning of 2025, Portovaya has exported around 520,000 tonnes of LNG, with approximately 350,000 tonnes delivered to Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad. This represents a sharp decline from the 1.6 million tonnes exported in 2024, when the European Union and Turkey were among the main offtakers.
The United Kingdom imposed sanctions on the Beihai terminal and seven tankers involved in Russian LNG transit in October. The European Union later adopted a provisional agreement banning all Russian LNG imports from January 1, 2027, along with pipeline gas imports from November 1, 2027. These measures are pending final approval by the European Parliament and Council.
Renewed pressure on Russian maritime routes
In addition to import bans, the United Kingdom plans to prohibit access to its maritime services, including insurance, for Russian LNG transit to third countries starting in 2026. The measure aims to restrict the use of UK-linked vessels and services in transporting Russian hydrocarbons, in coordination with European partners.
An official statement said the restrictions are expected to directly affect Russian LNG exports by reducing access to critical international maritime services. The ban will be phased in throughout 2026.
