LNG

Jan 6 - Knutsen OAS Shipping of Norway said it received permission from Russia to transport LNG from the Statoil-owned Hammerfest LNG plant in Northern Norway to Japan along the Northern Sea Route. The LNG will be carried on the 173,400 cubic metres capacity "Ribera del Duero Knutsen", an Ice-1A winterized class LNG carrier, Nordic media reported. The voyage from Norway to Japan will take about three weeks, halving the journey time via the Suez Canal. Russian carriers have already conducted trials carrying condensate to Asia via the NSR accompanied by ice-breakers as a possible prelude to sending LNG from future projects.