Ice pilots of the Arkhangelsk Branch, Sergei Fokin and Alexander Silimyankin, have provided ice pilotage of the EDUARD TOLL liquefied gas tanker (the flag of Bahama Islands) on the Northern Sea Route. The tanker was moving from the seaport of Nakhodka to the seaport of Sabetta.

On December 24, 2017, the EDUARD TOLL liquefied gas tanker of ARC7 Class entered the Polar Waters in the Bering Sea, passed the beam of Cape Dezhnev and entered the Northern Sea Route. Seventeen days after the liquefied gas tanker had successfully crossed the four seas it arrived in the water area of the Gulf of Ob, near the Belyi Island where the 50 Let Pobedy (the 50^th Anniversary of Victory) nuclear power vessel provided pilotage for further movement on the seaway canal to the external roadstead of the seaport of Sabetta.

For the first time ever during the winter navigation, the vessel made running voyage on the Northern Sea Route from east to west without icebreaker support.

Ice pilotage of the liquefied gas tanker has been provided amidst severe hydrometeorological conditions of the polar night with the established and growing ice on seas of the Artic Region, with floe ices and icebergs, which have been frozen in young ice.

The vessel met the hardest areas on the approaches toward the Sannikov Straits and directly upon its passage.

Ice pressures and huge floes, which have sometimes reached the height of 1.5-2 meters, were also the factors that complicated the movement of vessels.

It is necessary to note that tankers of YAMALMAX Class have higher icebreaking capability by moving aft, especially by moving floes and areas of ice nips. That is why when the EDUARD TOLL moved to the seaport of Sabetta following recommendations of ice pilots the captain of the liquefied gas tanker took a decision to move aft.

At present, the liquefied gas tanker took liquefied natural gas aboard in the seaport of Sabetta and left for the seaport of Montoir (France).