Ships loaded with Russian oil heading to China are stuck in the Arctic sea ice!
September 13, 2025, Russian newspaper article.
The oil tanker Leo, transporting oil from Russia to China via the Arctic Ocean route,
has been trapped in ice in the East Siberian Sea for five days.
Earlier, on August 29, a liquefied natural gas carrier was also trapped in the same area.
Evidently, this is due to the remaining ice layers in this section of the Arctic sea route,
which have caused serious impacts on ship navigation this season.
This area has formed ice ridges, which even pose a threat to higher ice-class vessels.
(Ice ridges are natural landscapes formed by the fragmentation and compression of ice under environmental forces. Their typical structure includes ridge sails protruding above the ice surface and keels buried beneath the ice.)
According to "Latest News," the ship departed from Murmansk on September 7, but has only traveled 153 miles.
Currently, the icebreaker "50th Anniversary" is rescuing it.
Obstacles have affected the transportation time. Initially, the ship was supposed to arrive in China on September 27, but the new deadline is October 2.
Now, this non-ice-class vessel is slowly proceeding along the coast with the help of the "50th Anniversary" icebreaker.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843188209033227/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.