Russian energy major Gazprom delivered its first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) to China on Thursday, Reuters reported, citing the LSEG financial information company, as Moscow wants to expand using the Arctic corridor in the face of Western sanctions.

The Velikiy Novgorod tanker, loaded with LNG from the Portovaya LNG plant in the Baltic Sea, set sail to China on August 14, according to data. It has now arrived at the terminal of Tangshan Caofeidian in the Hebei province.

Russia wants the NSR – which runs through the Arctic Ocean off the country’s northern coastline and is the shortest shipping route between East Asia and Europe – to become a major shipping lane, and is investing heavily in its infrastructure. Moscow has touted NSR as an alternative to the Suez Canal.

RT News

Mainstream announcement of initiatives in line with UKAZ and REDA projects ⚡️🔥😄