Two Russian LNG tankers, the Christophe de Margerie and the Nikolay Yevgenov, have passed through the North Sea Route without the aid of icebreakers, breaking the record for the latest unaided traversal of the Northern Sea Route. The tankers were loaded with liquified natural gas from the Yamal LNG gas fields in northern Russia and are bound for the Chinese port of Jingtang. The vessels are part of a fleet of 15 new Arc7 icebreaking carriers, which are shipping LNG from Siberia to China, taking a much more direct and efficient route than the alternative through the Atlantic. The opening of the Arctic, driven by sea ice loss due to climate change, has captured the attention of the US Coast Guard, which has been working closely with the Russian Border Guard to coordinate potential search and rescue operations and monitor Arctic waters.