LNG tanker from Norway arrives in Japan for the first time via Arctic route

2012-12-06

A tanker carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Norway arrived Wednesday in Japan for the first time via Arctic route, a potential breakthrough in the transport of gas cargo between northern Europe and Asia, local media said.

The carrier, Ob River, chartered by the Russian company Gazprom, left northern Norway’s Hammerfest LNG terminal on Nov. 7 and arrived on Wednesday at a major LNG import terminal of Tobata Port in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

The reports said that the vessel, which was loaded with about 60,000 tons of LNG which Japan’s Kyushu Electric Power Company ordered, became the first ship of its type to sail across the Arctic, adding that the tanker was escorted for part of its voyage by a Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker.

The voyage to cross the Arctic Ocean from Norway to Japan, passing north of Russia, shortened the journey by 20 days less than going through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal. The reports cited some industry sources as saying that changing climate conditions and a volatile gas market make the historic route profitable.

Source: Xinhua

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