Dunkirk Receives Its First Yamal Tanker
Dunkerque GNL, the joint EDF-Total-Fluxys venture that owns the Dunkirk import terminal, said January 26 that it received its first ice-breaker LNG vessel the day before.
The LNG tanker Boris Vilkitsky , which ships cargoes from the Yamal LNG venture in Russia, reached the terminal in northern France at 10am January 25 having left Yamal LNG's base in Sabetta 13 days earlier. It unloaded 165,000 m³ of LNG, an operation which Dunkerque GNL's majority owner, EDF, said went smoothly.
It is the first cargo into Dunkirk from Yamal LNG, in which French major Total holds 20% equity, and the fourth ship that it has chartered for the Dunkirk LNG terminal since its commercial start.
EDF said in the summer the 'Arc-7'-class ice-breaker tankers that are used for Yamal LNG shipments, each over 300 metres long and with capacity for 170,000 m3 LNG, will take the northern route to Asia, through the Bering Strait. When the northern route is not accessible, the icebreakers come to northern Europe as now, either to unload directly, or to transship on to 'conventional' non-icebreaker LNG tankers.
It comes as the LNG tanker Gaselys, carrying a cargo bought by Engie from Petronas, waits at anchor offshore Boston. The tanker picked up LNG from tanks at Isle of Grain LNG terminal in England, which is widely believed to be the cargo unloaded late last month from the Christophe de Margerie, the first ice-breaker LNG tanker to have loaded a cargo at Yamal LNG. On the widespread understanding that its cargo is Russian in origin, the cargo aboard Gaselys may become the first Yamal-sourced LNG imported into the US – if Gaselys does shortly discharge at the Everett terminal near Boston.