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Azerbaijan-managed vessel en path to China by means of Northern Sea Route, LSEG and trader data programs

An oil tanker handled by an Azerbaijanbased company is taking a trip the Northern Sea Route to China for the very first time, taking a path up until now controlled by vessels managed by Russian shipping giant Sovcomflot, according to LSEG information and two traders.

The vessel Prisma is managed by a private company Vista Vvave Shipmanagement based in Azerbaijan, one of the traders said, pointing out the vessel's files.

Moscow wishes to increase traffic through the Northern Sea Path ( NSR), which ranges from Murmansk near Russia's border with Norway eastwards to the Bering Strait near Alaska, making it competition to the Suez Canal.

Although it is a considerably much shorter path from western Russian ports to Asia than the Suez Canal alternative, it is challenging and requires icebreakers to assist vessels to pass along the Arctic coast of Russia.

The practically 20-year-old Prisma has an ICE 1C class, which enables it to go by means of the NSR with ice breaker help. The vessel filled petroleum from Russia's Baltic Primorsk port and is presently in the Kara Sea, according to shipping information.

Prisma is cruising under the flag of the Cook Islands and is owned by Evergreen Embrace Corp. registered in the Seychelles, according to the website of Russia's nuclear business Rosatom, which approves requests for transit through the NSR.

Reuters was not able to contact Vista Vvave Shipmanagement or Evergreen Embrace Corp.

. This year, six oil tankers bring some 600,000 metric heaps of Russian petroleum have actually picked NSR for their voyages to Chinese ports. The NSR is generally open for navigation between July and October, when the Arctic ice ends up being thinner.

The very first vessel, Olympiysky Prospect, is close to its location of China's Tianjin. Another 5 - NS Arctic, SCF Baltica, Moskovsky Prospect, Zaliv Amerika and Galaxy are on their way to numerous Chinese ports. All 6 vessels are managed by Sovcomflot Group of companies.

Sovcomflot didn't respond to a Reuters ask for remark.

While traders anticipate higher petroleum deliveries via NSR this year, the expense of browsing the route stays high and is more pricey than the path by means of Suez, traders said. China is the only financially efficient destination for the route, they state.

I 'd rather spend more time en route and pay less than usage the NSR, for which you need to receive particular approvals and pay for an ice-breaker service, a source in the Russian oil market said.

Rosatom concerns permits for navigation and icebreaker help in NSR waters and supplies nuclear icebreaker fleet services based upon requests from freight carriers.

(source: Reuters)