MOSCOW, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Russian energy company Gazprom said it reviewed the prospects of using a northern sea route for the shipment liquefied natural gas.
Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller met in Moscow with Sergei Frank, director general of maritime shipping company Sovcomflot.
"The parties discussed cooperation in the marine shipping of LNG," Gazprom said in a statement Tuesday. "In particular, the meeting addressed the prospects for Sovcomflot to participate in tenders for the charter of ice-breaking LNG carriers to be utilized by Gazprom."
Gazprom said a Sovcomflot carrier in September 2012 shipped petroleum products using the so-called Northern Sea Route in a record seven days.
Russia is the world's largest natural gas supplier and has courted Asian countries, which are starting to demand more natural gas to meet the needs of their expanding economies.
Novatek, Russia's second-largest gas producer after Gazprom, in October reached a deal to supply at least 3 million tons of LNG to China National Petroleum Corp. under the terms of a 15-year contract.
