Yamal LNG, controlled by Russia's largest liquefied natural gas producer Novatek, has sent its first cargo to China since last November, LSEG data showed on Tuesday, weeks before the gradual enforcement of Europe's ban on Russian LNG imports.
The project, located on the Yamal peninsula in the Arctic, has previously mostly exported its frozen gas to Europe.
President Vladimir Putin said last month his country could divert gas away from Europe, given the European Union's decision to ban imports of Russian pipeline gas by late-2027 and new short-term Russian LNG contracts from April 25 this year.
LSEG ship-tracking data showed that the LNG gas carrier Geneva was sailing to China. It received its cargo from the Arc-class tanker Vladimir Rusanov near Russia's Arctic port of Murmansk.
The tanker is due to arrive in China on May 15.
Yamal LNG last sent an LNG cargo to China at the end of November which arrived at the end of January after the tanker carrying it sailed around Africa.
(Reuters - Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge/Andrew Osborn)