China halts key ship equipment exports to Russia | News. az
China has refused to supply critical components for Russia’s large-tonnage ice-class vessels because of international sanctions, complicating Moscow’s plans to expand the Northern Sea Route. . .
China has refused to supply critical components for Russia’s large-tonnage ice-class vessels because of international sanctions, complicating Moscow’s plans to expand the Northern Sea Route (NSR),News. Azreports, citing theKyiv Post. According to a presentation by Russia’s Central Marine Research and Design Institute (CNIIMF), cited by the Russian business daily Vedomosti, the delivery of Chinese propulsion and steering systems for the vessels will depend on an easing of sanctions. Russiacurrently has no domestic alternatives for the required energy installations. CNIIMF estimates that by 2030 Russian companies will need at least 10 oil tankers with a deadweight of 120,000 tons, five liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers with a capacity of 174,000 cubic metres, three universal bulk carriers with a capacity of 40,000 tons, two gas condensate tankers and three liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers. RECOMMENDED STORIESRussia imposes full cargo transport ban on Estonian trucksAt least 7 killed in Ukrainian drone attack on Russia logistics hubWhy Moscow invited BayramovEx-Navalny accuser arrested following criticism of PutinAll of the vessels must meet the Arc7 ice-class standard to enable year-round operations in the Arctic. CNIIMF Deputy Director Alexander Buyanov said Russian shipyards currently do not build large-tonnage ice-class vessels because of insufficient shipyard capacity and a lack of the necessary equipment. He noted that Russia has no domestic alternatives, Western equipment is unavailable due to sanctions, and Chinese suppliers are also restricting deliveries in compliance with sanctions. The equipment shortage has complicated the Russian government's ambitions for the Northern Sea Route, which stretches from the Kara Gates Strait to the Bering Strait. Moscow had planned for the route to handle 80 million tons of cargo annually by 2024 and 200 million tons by 2030. In reality, cargo volumes reached 38 million tons in 2024, compared with approximately 37 million tons the previous year. Rosatom and the Russian government have since lowered their 2030 cargo forecast for the route to between 70 million and 100 million tons. At present, around 60% of cargo transported along the Northern Sea Route consists of Russian exports, primarily LNG, crude oil and gas condensate from projects including Yamal LNG, Arctic LNG 2 and Novoportovskoye. The restrictions on maritime technology contrast with reports of continued military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. Recently leaked documents indicate the two countries are working together on next-generation armoured vehicles equipped with artificial intelligence, unmanned turrets and integrated drone capabilities. At the same time, Russia has begun deploying upgraded T-72B3A main battle tanks fitted with the Arena-M active protection system, which state media says is designed to defend against first-person-view (FPV) drones. Military exchanges between the two countries are also continuing. Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) reported that bilateral military training remains ongoing, stating that more than 180 Russian troops trained in China in November 2025, while more than 550 Chinese troops have trained in Russia in known deployments. News. AzBy Nijat Babayev