Russia's Inaugural Homegrown LNG Carrier Encounters Setbacks Amid Prolonged Sea Trials

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) – The Arc7 ice-class LNG tanker, Alexey Kosygin, which made its debut late last year, is still waiting to finish its sea and mooring tests. For a good part of winter, it has been anchored near the Zvezda shipyard close to Vladivostok. These delays have hindered Russia’s ambitions to ramp up the construction of essential LNG carriers and oil tankers for Arctic energy initiatives. Additionally, both Zvezda and the vessels being built there are under U.S. sanctions.

The first round of sea trials was a brief 72-hour stint in late December 2024. Since then, the vessel has remained at anchor in Amur Bay not far from where it was built but recently set sail towards Nakhodka Bay for another testing phase.

onc operational, this vessel will be managed by Sovcomflot, a Russian shipping company that is also facing sanctions. Alexey Kosygin is supposed to lead what was planned as a fleet of fifteen Arc7 ice-capable LNG carriers developed with assistance from Samsung Heavy Industries for the Arctic LNG 2 project.

Samsung contributed substantially to constructing the hulls while final assembly took place at Zvezda.Regrettably, only five hulls were completed before Western sanctions halted collaboration and forced many foreign companies out of Russia’s shipbuilding sector. Other vessels being constructed at Hanwha have also faced similar setbacks due to U.S.-imposed restrictions.A significant hurdle remains: completing the gas membranes used in LNG storage tanks. Only some units were finished before GTT—a French firm responsible for supplying these membranes—left Russia in 2023.Initially slated for service in 2024 alongside another vessel named Pyotr Stolypin, commissioning has now been pushed back to early 2025 due to ongoing delays with trials; further postponements into mid-2025 seem likely.

Interestingly enough, while urgency exists around completing these vessels post-sanctions lifting remains low as Western restrictions on Arctic LNG 2 continue unabated. In fact, Novatek—the majority stakeholder in Arctic LNG 2—had no choice but to pause operations last October after struggling to find buyers for eight shipments loaded during August and September of that year.

However, once those sanctions are lifted—and they will be eventually—the new Arc7 carriers will become crucial assets for Russian energy exports again. Recent discussions indicate that Arctic LNG 2 could be prioritized by Moscow when seeking relief from international penalties as peace talks regarding Ukraine progress forward.