Russia Prepares “Shadow Fleet” for Arctic LNG 2: Renaming of LNG Carriers Aims to Evade Sanctions
Russia has renamed four Arc4-class LNG carriers from the North series, previously registered in Panama. The vessels formerly known as North Sky, North Air, North Mountain, and North Way are now Iris, Buran, Voskhod, and Zarya, respectively. The renaming and reflagging under the Russian registry occurred around April 17 and are seen by analysts as a move to facilitate future shipments from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.
Built by Samsung Heavy Industries in 2023–2024 for Japanese operator NYK, these vessels were later transferred to Dubai-based White Fox Ship Management. Both the vessels and the operator were included in U.S. sanctions in August 2024. Last summer, some of these carriers employed deceptive tactics—disabling or spoofing AIS signals—on routes to Arctic LNG 2.
According to Kjell Eikland, Managing Director at Eikland Energy, Russia may loosen AIS reporting requirements in its waters and offer state-backed insurance to support the fleet’s operation.
The restart of production lines 1 and 2 at Arctic LNG 2 could take place as early as summer 2025, depending on ice conditions in the Ob Bay, where navigation typically becomes possible in June. These renamed Arc4 vessels may be key to launching those shipments.
Despite recent activity at the plant and continued gas flaring through April, market appetite remains limited. Under current sanctions and with few willing buyers—especially in Europe—Novatek is struggling to sell roughly one million tonnes of LNG already stockpiled.
Kpler Insight analyst Ana Subasic notes that without significant sanction relief or new evasion methods, export efforts will remain constrained. China may be a likely buyer, but secondary sanctions are not expected to significantly deter trade at this time.
In short, the renaming and readiness of these four vessels suggest a potential relaunch of Arctic LNG 2 logistics this summer, but their success will depend heavily on geopolitical developments and sanction dynamics.
