Russian scientist proposes nuclear submarine for gas transport amid LNG sanctions
Mikhail Kovalchuk, a close associate of Vladimir Putin and the Director of the Kurchatov Institute, is once again making headlines with a bold new proposal. Kovalchuk, a known confidant of the Russian president, has suggested the development of a nuclear submarine designed to transport natural gas from Russia, reports the Russian news agency RBC, publishing a video presentation of the project.
According to the engineers at the Kurchatov Institute, the plan envisions a nuclear submarine measuring 360 meters in length and weighing approximately 180,000 tons.
This "nuclear gas carrier" project emerges amidst a severe shortage of traditional LNG tankers. Novatek, Russia’s largest LNG producer, and currently under Western sanctions, had plans to acquire 16 such tankers for 2024, according to The Moscow Times.
However, Novatek's Korean partners have severed all contracts due to the aforementioned sanctions, and the Russian shipyard Zvezda, which was supposed to deliver five of these tankers, is entangled in "technological issues" and has failed to deliver any vessels as anticipated.
It is worth noting that back in February, Russia faced setbacks when it could not acquire icebreakers for its mega LNG project due to U.S. sanctions. Bloomberg reported that Novatek intended to use these ships to transport fuel for the "Arctic LNG-2" project, without which the company is grappling to operate at planned capacity levels.
On September 26, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions against Russian LNG operators and suppliers. The new British sanctions target five vessels and two companies.