Russian LNG producer Novatek said July 24 it had shipped its first cargo from the Yamal LNG project to Japan eastbound via the Northern Sea Route, giving the company scope to increase LNG exports to Japan. The NSR is closed to eastbound shipping for around half the year due to ice, but cargoes can be shipped eastward during the summer and autumn, significantly reducing the time it takes for LNG cargoes from Yamal LNG to reach northeast Asian markets. This year, the NSR was opened up much earlier than in previous years, with the first cargo sent to China on May 18, more than a month earlier than the first […]