Winter LNG transit highlights Arctic’s growing role

Russia is leading the charge to normalise Arctic shipping as the region warms

Arctic waters are becoming increasingly navigable as a result of climate change, and Russia is leading the way in attempting to normalise shipping in high latitude regions. To the west, Canada and the US are already in disagreement over the status of the Northwest Passage. But shipping in the Arctic still poses significant challenges and is likely to remain mostly confined to Russian LNG shipments for now. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) along Russia’s Arctic coast cuts the voyage from Europe to Asia “by more than a third”, according to Russian deputy prime minister Yury Trutnev. A total of 33mn t of cargo, including 18mn t of LNG, was transported via the route in 2020, a fivefold increase in f