Wison Modules En Route to Arctic LNG Project In Defiance of Sanctions
Ocean 28 en route with a module for the onshore power plant. (Source: HNN)
A Chinese-manufactured power plant for a sanctioned Russian LNG project continues to inch closer to the Arctic. Three heavy lift vessels have reached the northern Pacific and are days from passing through the Bering Strait.
A week after HNN uncovered the plot to deliver a power plant to Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project, the three Chinese heavy lift vessels continue their journey northward.
In a seeming acknowledgement that secrecy is no longer of any use the vessels Ocean 28, Nan Feng Zhi Xing, and Hunter Star now have official Northern Sea Route permits confirming their Arctic routing. The latter two now also display Sabetta as a destination adjacent to the Arctic LNG 2 project, further confirming the accuracy of the scheme described by HNN.
Nan Feng Zhi Xing and Hunter Star received permits on October 1 and October 2, respectively, shortly after publication. Both vessels conducted refueling stops in Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East, likely the last port facility able to accommodate them ahead of the long Arctic crossing.
Nan Feng Zhi Xing and Hunter Star near Vladivostok on October 2 and October 5. (Source: Planet.com)
Satellite images taken on October 2 and October 5 confirm the power generation modules remain aboard both vessels as they stopped in the Eastern Bosphorus Strait near Vladivostok. A bunkering tanker subsequently resupplied the ships in preparation of the 5,000 nautical mile voyage to the Gydan peninsula.
According to the NSR permits Nan Feng Zhi Xing and Hunter Star are operated by Guangdong Nanfeng Shipping Co. The company and its vessels were sanctioned by the U.S. in May 2024 for previously carrying modules to Russia, but its vessels continue to operate with a Panamanian registration.
Screenshot of Northern Sea Route permit log showing details for the three vessels. (Source: NSR Administration)
In August, another flag state, Palau, suspended the flags of several sanctioned LNG vessels, possibly at the behest of the United States. Palau receives substantial financial support from the U.S. accounting for a quarter of the island state’s budget.
Meanwhile, Ocean 28 and its operator Hong Kong Yaqing Shipping Co. and owner Guangdong Yaqing Shipping Co. have not previously attracted the attention of U.S. sanctions offices. The vessel also operates under a Panamanian registration.
Winter is coming
All three vessels, but especially Ocean 28 with no ice protection, will face growing obstacles to pass through sections of the Northern Sea Route where winter ice has begun to form. The onset of winter also limits options to transport the remaining two power generation modulus from Wison’s Zhoushan yard to the Arctic.
The only vessels suitable for a winter transport would be Red Box’s Audax and Pugnax. With a high polar class ice protection both vessels previously completed mid-winter voyages in service of Arctic LNG 2. However, the company has been de facto defunct since U.S. sanctions in May 2024. Audax has remained at anchor off the eastern coast of China, while Pugnax has been moored in Singapore.
