Russia’s state-run energy company, Gazprom, has delivered its second shipment of LNG from its small-scale Portovaya LNG plant on the Baltic Sea to Spain, according to Reuters analysis of shipping data.
LNG exports from Russia have not been under Western sanctions, unlike oil exports. According to analysis by Urgewald, a German non-profit environmental research organisation, Russian LNG is regularly transported to Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain. In 2023, the EU imported 31 million tonnes (mt) of Russian LNG, but in December imports reached their monthly record of 3.2mt.
However, the EU has implemented measures in an attempt to stem the flow. Last week, the European Parliament passed rules that allow governments to ban Russian LNG imports by preventing Russian companies from booking gas infrastructure capacity. France, Spain and Belgium have not yet confirmed whether they will use the new law.
According to Reuters, a spokesperson for Spain’s energy ministry said the country supports the common EU position on banning Russian LNG, as Russian companies could avert a Spain-only ban by sending their fuel to other EU ports.
Nevertheless, data showed that a tanker known as the Cool Rover, which loaded LNG ship-to-ship from the floating storage and regasification unit, the Marshal Vasilkevskiy, discharged at the BBG LNG terminal in the Spanish port town of Bilbao.