The Yamal LNG project will expand annual Northern Sea Route freight volume by 18 million metric tons, Novatek CEO Leonid Mikhelson said at an international conference on Russian-Japanese energy cooperation in Tokyo, according to RIA Novosti.

"The Yamal LNG project will expand shipments to about 18 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas and gas condensate," Mr. Mikhelson said and added that this was approximately 250 round trips via the Northern Sea Route annually.

"Yamal LNG is basically the construction of an LNG plant with an annual capacity of 16.5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas using gas from the Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye deposit. The plant's first stage is to start operating in 2017. Fifteen ARK-7 ice-resistant tankers with a rated capacity of 45 mWt each will be built, and each ship will carry 170,000 cubic meters of LNG. They are expected to sail west via the Northern Sea Route all year, as well as about six months eastward," Mr. Mikhelson noted.

"The Northern Sea Route will become more and more attractive for freight shipments," Mr. Mikhelson stressed.