Siberia News

Attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels on merchant ships in the Red Sea have hit world trade. Between November and December 2023, the number of containers travelling through the Red Sea each day fell by 60% as ships moving goods between Asia and Europe diverted their routes around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.This route results in at least ten days more sailing time, so has caused freight prices to surge and has triggered costly delays to production. The region has become a bottleneck for the global economy before.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on hundreds of people and entities, including in China, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as it targets Russia's sanctions evasion, future energy capabilities, banks and its metals and mining sector.The U.S. Treasury and State departments targeted more than 250 individuals and entities in Washington's latest action attempting to crack down on Russia and its evasion of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies over the war in…

Malmö, Sweden-based Chris-Marine is long-tenured in the business of keeping engines running smoothly, efficiently. Led by its energetic young CEO Jens Groth, this 60-year-old- company finds itself in transition: firmly rooted in its traditional business of creating the tools and technique to keep commercial ship engines running smoothly, but at the same time transitioning its revenue to include services, particularly as ships at sea increasingly run with fewer, less experienced crew.

Russian gas exports to Europe via pipelines plummeted to a post-Soviet low in 2022 as its largest customer cut imports due to the conflict in Ukraine and a major pipeline was damaged by mysterious blasts, Gazprom data  and Reuters calculations showed.The European Union, traditionally Russia's largest consumer for oil and gas, has for years spoken about cutting its reliance on Russian energy, but Brussels got serious after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February.State-controlled Gazprom…

German oil and gas firm Wintershall Dea, one of the five co-funders of Nord Stream 2, on Wednesday said it is writing off its 1 billion euros ($1.11 billion) financing in the gas pipeline that was suspended last week.The management board of Wintershall Dea said on Wednesday it would no longer be advancing or implementing further projects in Russia and would be stopping payments to Russia immediately.The company, co-owned by BASF and Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman's investor group LetterOne, said it would remain involved in the existing Yuzhno Russkoye and Achimov natural gas production pr

China and Russia have grown increasingly close in recent years, including as trading partners, a relationship that brings both opportunities and risks as Russia reels from tough new sanctions led by the West in response to its invasion of Ukraine.Total trade between China and Russia jumped 35.9% last year to a record $146.9 billion, according to Chinese customs data, with Russia serving as a major source of oil, gas, coal and agriculture commodities, running a trade surplus with China.Since sanctions were imposed in 2014 after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea…

Russian gas giant Gazprom said on Thursday its management had approved investments worth 1.76 trillion roubles ($24 billion) for 2022, up from initial plans of 902 billion roubles for 2021, to fund new production and refining hubs.Gazprom is developing new gas production deposits, including in the Arctic Yamal peninsula, which the government claims holds more than a fifth of global gas reserves.The company said its other priority projects for funding are the Power of Siberia pipeline to China, as well as gas processing plants and the maintenance of its existing pipeline network.Gazprom said ca

Wärtsilä Voyage has signed a contract to deliver radio and integrated navigation systems for 10 icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers to be constructed for the Arctic LNG-2 project.The order was placed in January 2021 and is now in process of execution, in partnership with South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd shipyard. The new contract is an extension of the announcement made last summer, where Wärtsilä Voyage equipped five LNG carriers with integrated bridge systems under the same project.

The Biden administration is expected to name as early as Friday the companies it believes are helping build Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, five sources said, a move that could eventually prompt sanctions on the nearly-completed project.The State Department report to Congress, which may come on Friday, is expected to list companies the administration believes are helping to complete the natural gas pipeline that Russia's state energy company Gazprom says is more than 90% complete.Sanctions law that went into effect on Jan.

The world's largest group of shipping insurers will not insure vessels involved in the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream gas pipeline projects because of the threat of U.S. sanctions.Associations belonging to the International Group of P&I Clubs, including the Shipowners' Club and the London P&I Club, said in a circular on Monday that it would not provide cover "for any activity involving or related to the Nord Stream 2 or TurkStream construction projects".It said members…

Gazprom Neft, is the third largest oil producer in Russia, and Mubadala Petroleum (Abu Dhabi, UAE) have entered into a memorandum of understanding in the field of technological cooperation.The partners agreed to work together to create new technologies that include the development of innovative solutions in oil production and digitization of production processes.Gazprom Neft and Mubadala Petroleum are partners in the Gazpromneft-Vostok joint venture, which manages the development of 12 fields in the Tomsk and Omsk regions of Western Siberia. This joint venture is also involved in implementing a technological project — the “Paleozoic…

Ahead of the G7 meeting at Biarritz from August 24-26, French President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Labour Muriel Pénicaud, and Deputy Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition Brune Poirson, this afternoon has invited to the Elysée Palace representatives of the shipping industry including global leader CMA CGM.On this occasion, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, will…

Clean Arctic Alliance has sent its second letter to Cosco, in which the NGOs urge the Chinese liner company to make public what fuel types its vessels use in the Arctic.Responding to reports that the 190m-long COSCO-owned cargo vessel Tian’en is due to arrive in the Swedish port of Gävle on August 18, having traversed the Arctic’s Northern Sea Route between the Pacific and the Atlantic, Clean Arctic Alliance Lead Advisor Sian Prior said: “Earlier this year, the Clean Arctic Alliance wrote to COSCO requesting it make public the nature of the fuel that the Tian’en, and other COSCO vessels planning on transiting the Northern Sea Route, will be using and carrying through Arctic waters.

Italian oil and gas industry contractor Saipem reached a deal on Friday to participate in a joint engineering venture for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the west of Siberia.The subsidiary of Eni said in a press release that it has has reached an agreement with Technip France SA and NIPIgaspererabotka to participate in the Joint Venture for the realization of the Arctic LNG2 project.The project has been awarded by Arctic LNG2, a company formed by Novatek JSPC (60%) and Ekropromstroy Ltd (40%).It comprises the detailed design, procurement, fabrication, construction, commissioning and start-up of three liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains…

European contractor Vinci Construction has been awarded  contract to build a 225,000 m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank in Canada.The Joint Venture composed of Entrepose Contracting and Vinci Construction Grands Projets, said in a release that the contract, which covers the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the tank, is worth CAD $400 million (about US$306 million).“The strong co-operation between Entrepose Contracting and Vinci Construction Grands Projets has a unique track record of construction in harsh climates. We are proud to bring our proven LNG tank expertise to Canada,” said Gaël Cailleaux, Managing Director of Entrepose Contracting.“Together with Entrepose Contracting, we intend to establish the highest standards for safety and quality on site for this project.

European natural gas prices reached their lowest in at least a decade, fueled by a battle for market share between Russia, traditionally the continent's supplier, and the U.S., whose gas exports have gained momentum on the back of the shale boom.European natural gas prices are at a historical low and below the cost of shipping gas from the US to Europe. In May, prices remained just above this floor, fetching around $4.20 per million British thermal units (MMBtu).But this floor seems to be crumbling, if not collapsing, now that the Dutch front month gas price (TTF) has hit a fresh low of $3.20 per MMBtu – the lowest price since the TTF began trading on the Dutch market in March 2010…

With gas supplies growing at a faster rate than domestic demand, Russia can increase pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe, said a report.Russia’s gas production has been steadily increasing since the low of 611 Bcm in 2015, and reached 695 Bcm in 2018, according to a report form Rystad Energy, an independent energy research and business intelligence companyMature fields exhibit relatively high decline rates, but volumes from the recent start-ups and discoveries in Yamal, East Siberia and the Far East are expected to offset the decline. In 2018, Gazprom commissioned the third production facility at the Bovanenkovskoye field…

Russian gas giant Gazprom will start supplying Russian natural gas to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline almost one month early than previously planned.Alexey Miller, Chairman of Gazprom Management Committee, said after the negotiations with representatives of Chinese partner CNPC in Beijing, “Construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline is going ahead of schedule, and Gazprom will start delivering gas to China well in advance, as early as December 1, 2019.”Alexey Miller and Wang Yilin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CNPC reviewed a wide range of issues related to cooperation between the companies, focusing on the ongoing…

The Beloe More recently joined its sister vessel Severnaya Dvina in the Port of Sabetta, northern Russia. The 2,000 m3 hopper dredger was delivered from stock to FSUE ROSMORPORT. The customized hopper dredger will perform maintenance duties and execute capital dredging in the newly created harbor.The Beloe More - meaning ‘White Sea’ in Russian - is not the first vessel Damen has delivered to ROSMORPORT. As Vadim Akimov, Damen Sales Director, explains : “ROSMORPORT is the Russian enterprise responsible for the accessibility of all major Russian sea ports.

Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom is progressing a number of gas pipeline  stretching across the Black Sea projects with three major projects already 95.5 percent complete, the company claimed.The TurkStream will soon see the completion of its offshore section, bringing closer a consistent the supply of Russian gas to Turkey and its neighbours."The Company continues to pursue the extensive Eastern Gas Program and to build facilities associated with supplying gas to domestic consumers and to China. In particular, 127 producing gas wells were drilled at the Chayandinskoye field, the linchpin of the Yakutia gas production center. Also underway is the installation of the gas field’s core process equipment…

When the Siberian winter bites and the mighty Lena River freezes, workers at the Yakutsk shipyard brace for a backbreaking but vital task - 'vymorozka'.As Siberia's summer is so short, freighters must be kept moving while the river, whose 4,400 km (2,735 miles) carry the region's economic lifeblood, is navigable. Repairs must be done in winter, when the river is frozen and the ships are wedged tight in the ice.Vymorozka, which translates as 'freezing out', is the process of cutting away the ice from around a ship's hull with chainsaws…

The world's first liquid natural gas (LNG) carrier tanker was named 'Boris Sokolov' and delivered by Guangzhou Shipyard International in Guangzhou City.According to Chinese state media, the Arctic condensate tanker carrier designed to traverse the world's icy northern polar region.With a load capacity of 44,550 tons, the vessel, which is built for for Dynacom of Greece, can sail in the Arctic region without icebreaker-piloting, it said. The vessel is mainly used for transporting condensate oil for the Yamal LNG project in northwest Siberia, which is the largest LNG project in the world.Boris Sokolov is designed to cope with the extreme cold of the Arctic, where the temperature can fall below minus 50 degrees.

Russian oil giant Rosneft said that China National Chemical, known as ChemChina, agreed to purchase 2.4 million tons a year of crude oil. That amount is equivalent to 6% of Rosneft's total exports to China in 2017.Crude oil from Eastern Siberia will be transported to a Russian Far East port by pipeline and will reach China via Russia’s Pacific port of Kozmino.The deal allows for increasing crude oil supplies to China’s market, which is a strategic one for Rosneft, the Russian company said in press release."Conclusion of the contract will lead to an increase in direct supplies of oil to the strategic Chinese market and ensure a guaranteed cost-effective export channel for the Company's crude sales," said the release.ChemChina is one of the largest petrochemical companies in the world.