Transportation of LNG from the Arctic by Commercial Submarine

Abstract

The paper examines the feasibility of shipping liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Arctic by submarine tanker. Among the advantages of an under-ice commercial transport system, the authors include the safe, reliable movement of LNG on a regular schedule unimpeded by surface weather conditions; the minimum environmental impact on the fragile Arctic ecology; and the economic superiority over alternative systems by the adaptation of a well-proven technology. Conceptual designs of two such mammoth submarines, both nuclear and nonnuclear powered, are illustrated.