Russia approves LNG transshipment terminal in Kamchatka

Russia’s federal autonomous institution Glavgosexpertiza has approved the design documentation and engineering survey results for the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) transshipment terminal in the Kamchatka Territory.

In October 2017, the Government of Kamchatka and PJSC Novatek signed an agreement to develop a marine LNG transshipment complex on the Kamchatka’s southeast coast.

The terminal will be used for transshipment of LNG delivered from the Yamal Peninsula in the Gulf of Ob by ice-class gas carriers. It will then be transferred to ordinary gas carriers for further gas delivery to the Asia-Pacific region.

Citing Glavgosexpertiza, The World Maritime News reported that the project will optimise LNG shipment from the Arctic, which in turn will facilitate the development of the Northern Sea Route.

The project will also boost the trade and economic relations of the Kamchatka Territory.

Expected to be constructed in five phases, the new transshipment terminal will be located in the Bechevinskaya Bay (Elizovsky District of the Kamchatka Territory), which is 100km away from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

The port infrastructure will include offshore points for ship-to-ship (STS) transshipment of LNG, floating gas storage facilities, and a 6,580m-long access canal in the Bechevinskaya Bay.

A system ensuring marine safety is also part of the infrastructure.

The terminal will first service 328 gas carriers per annum. Once fully operational, it is designed to service 657 gas carriers each year.

In September 2018, Novatek signed an agreement to construct the marine LNG transhipment complex in the territory of Kamchatka, with an investment of around RUR70bn ($996.99m).