US-Sanctioned Russian LNG Heads to Asia in Search for Buyers

Several liquefied natural gas tankers are heading to Asia from a Russian export facility sanctioned by the US, potentially testing Washington's resolve to crack down on the trade amid high-level talks over the war in Ukraine.

The Iris and Voskhod vessels, which are carrying shipments from the Arctic LNG 2 plant in Siberia, began traveling to North Asia via the Northern Sea Route on Aug. 15 after being idled for weeks, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Two other tankers that recently loaded at the plant also started heading toward Asia last week.