Two Chinese heavy-lift ships that carried modules to Russia’s sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project have changed hands and now sail under the Russian flag, gCaptain reported on 9 November 2026.
New owner, new flag
- The vessels are Bright (IMO 9830769, formerly Zhi Xian Zhi Xing, Hunter Star and Bright Ocean) and Glory (IMO 9934498, formerly Nan Feng Zhi Xing and Glory Ocean).
- Equasis records show ownership has moved from Guangdong Nan Feng Shipping Co. to Eco Shipping LLC, a Russian company. Both ships have reappeared on AIS near Murmansk under the Russian flag.
- The timing, terms and price of the sale have not been disclosed, and neither ship yet appears in Eco Shipping’s published fleet list.
Role in Arctic LNG 2
Earlier in 2026 the two ships delivered modules for the project’s third production train to Novatek’s LNG construction centre at Belokamenka, near Murmansk. In September they returned to China and loaded two onshore power-generation modules for the second train. In mid-September both ships switched off AIS while heading north across the Pacific towards the Bering Strait, and delivered the modules to the Utrenniy terminal without broadcasting their positions.
According to the report, satellite imagery shows at least seven more modules for the third train still in China.
Sanctions scrutiny
Arctic LNG 2 is under Western sanctions. Another Chinese heavy-lift ship, Ya Qing Hai Yang (formerly Ocean 28), which delivered a substation module to the project in 2024, is sanctioned by the US, EU and UK and was detained by Norway over an invalid flag registration and missing certificates. A further vessel, Jian Yang Cheng He, has drawn scrutiny from Norwegian authorities over its Northern Sea Route voyages.
The report also noted that Russian authorities no longer publish daily Northern Sea Route shipping logs or details of permit applications and permits granted.
Source: gCaptain (Malte Humpert), 9 November 2026. Photo: file image of the port of Murmansk; not the vessels named.
