Norway Implements New Sanctions, But Russian LNG Vessels Still Allowed to Stop at Honningsvåg
LNG carrier Vladimir Voronin off the coast of Honningsvåg on 15 April 2023. (Source: Courtesy of Kjell-Bendik Pedersen)
Norway passed a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, including the import and transshipment of liquefied natural gas. But the latest measures do not address the continued use of Norwegian port facilities by LNG carriers in service of Russia. Danish shipyard Fayard A/S similarly continues providing drydock services, with another Arc7 LNG carrier now at the Odense facility.
The indirect support of Russian exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by both Norwegian and Danish port and yard facilities continues.
While Norway announced new restrictions on Russian LNG projects last week, vessels carrying the super chilled gas remain permitted to use services at the Honningsvåg port in northern Norway, including provisioning and crew changes.
Meanwhile, Danish Fayard A/S shipyard in Odense carries on providing drydock services to vessels in service of Russian LNG exports.
Last week Norway’s government announced a host of new measures in line with the EU’s 14th sanctions package against Russia from earlier this summer.
The new sanctions were implemented as part of Norwegian law, and prohibit certain transshipment services of LNG, but shy away from restricting services to Russia’s LNG fleet.
Vessels carrying Russian LNG to markets routinely avail themselves of services Norwegian ports provide. On September 30 the LNG carrier Fedor Litke, in service of the Yamal LNG project, stopped near the Nordkapp for several hours just outside Honningsvåg’s port.
Track of Fedor Litke stopping at Honningsvåg’s on September 30, 2024. (Source: Shipatlas)
Another gas tanker Nikolay Urvantsev similarly took advantage of services offered in the Norwegian Arctic waters in August. This practice has gone on uninterrupted for several years.
A prior request for comment to Norwegian authorities confirmed that vessels conduct crew changes and take on provisions according to information from the Norwegian Joint Headquarters.
In contrast to LNG carriers, Norway does have prohibitions in place for vessels carrying Russian oil to deny exactly the kinds of services the LNG fleet continues to take advantage of.
The new sanctions include a “prohibition on granting access to the port [...] certain vessels listed in Annex XLII (§ 19ac). [...] This entails a ban on granting access to ports on mainland Norway and the provision of services etc. to listed vessels which, among other things, can be linked, sanctioned Russian oil (ships associated with the so-called shadow fleet) or provide services to the Russian energy sector or infrastructure.
The new law now also includes a broad clause allowing for a ban on vessels “providing services to the Russian energy sector” seemingly giving the Norwegian government a tool to interdict port calls by vessels carrying Russian LNG.
The Norwegian government has been asked to clarify why vessels in service of Yamal LNG remain permitted to enter mainland Norwegian ports when they are clearly operating in service of the Russian energy sector.
Danish shipyard services continue
Norway’s Scandinavia neighbor to the south, Denmark, also continues to turn a blind eye to services offered to vessels carrying Russia LNG. As previously reported, Danish Fayard A/S’ yard provides drydock services to around half of Russia’s LNG fleet.
Currently the ice-class LNG carrier Yakov Gakkel is at the Odense yard undergoing maintenance work. The vessel becomes the eighth ship in service of Yamal LNG to enter the shipyard for services since the beginning of the full-scale war in February 2022.
Yakov Gakkel at Fayard AS’ yard in Odense on Octobre 2, 2024. (Source: Planet.com, Shipatlas)
The others were Nikolay Urvantsev (May 2022), Boris Vilkitsky (August 2022), Fedor Litke (September 2022), Vladimir Rusanov (October 2022), Boris Davydov (August 2023), Nikolay Zubov (October 2023), and Vladimir Voronin (July 2024).
The yard declined to comment except for stressing that it was in compliance with all sanctions.
