Gazprom Sends First LNG Cargo to China Since Sanctions

Russian energy giant Gazprom has delivered a liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipment from its Portovaya plant to China, marking the first such cargo since U.S. sanctions were introduced in January, LSEG data showed on Monday.

The tanker Valera, formerly Velikiy Novgorod, carried the cargo from the Baltic Sea to China’s Beihai LNG terminal. Gazprom’s move follows a suspension of exports from Portovaya earlier this year due to sanctions aimed at limiting Russia’s LNG revenuev, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Portovaya, a small-scale LNG plant with an annual capacity of 1.5 million tons, began operations in September 2022. Initially, most shipments went to Türkiye and Greece, later expanding to China, Spain, and Italy.

Winter exports from Portovaya may remain limited to one cargo per month because of the terminal’s small size and limited shipping capacity. By contrast, Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 plant can deliver around three cargoes per month to China, thanks to larger capacity and more carriers.

Before sanctions, Portovaya typically shipped two LNG cargoes per month in winter. Since March 2025, shipments have largely been restricted to Kaliningrad.

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