February 5 2026

The vessel has commenced operations as part of the Arctic LNG 2 project

The large-capacity LNG carrier Alexey Kosygin, built for Sovcomflot, successfully completed its maiden voyage along the route Primorsky Krai — Gulf of Ob (Kara Sea) — Ura Bay (Barents Sea) — Murmansk as part of the Arctic LNG 2 project, according to IAA PortNews.

During the voyage, on January 28, 2026, the vessel carried out its first loading of liquefied natural gas in the Gulf of Ob, and on February 3, unloaded it onto a floating gas storage facility in the Ura Bay.

The voyage took place in challenging ice and navigation conditions, including escort by the Atomflot icebreaker from Cape Dezhnev. As reported by the IAA PortNews, the average speed of movement in ice up to 1.8 m thick was 8.7 knots. The length of the voyage exceeded 2.4 thousand miles, the total travel time was 12 days and 4 hours.

During the Northern Sea Route voyage, the vessel completed preliminary tests of independent navigation in ice.

The voyage demonstrated the LNG carrier’s readiness for year-round operation in Arctic latitudes without icebreaker assistance on certain sections of the route. Sovcomflot representatives told IAA PortNews that the results of the maiden voyage confirm the high efficiency of the technical solutions implemented in the vessel’s construction, as well as the crew’s readiness for uninterrupted operation in Arctic conditions.

The Alexey Kosygin gas carrier runs on environmentally friendly LNG, minimizing its environmental impact. The vessel operates under the Russian Federation flag, is homeported in St. Petersburg, and has a crew of 31 Russian sailors.

The vessel is named in honor of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR Alexei Kosygin, who played a key role in the development of the merchant marine fleet and the creation of Sovcomflot.

The naming ceremony for the gas carrier took place on September 11, 2023, at the Zvezda Shipyard (Bolshoy Kamen, Primorsky Krai) with the participation of President Vladimir Putin. The vessel was commissioned on December 22, 2025.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/387589/