The European Commission stated that the EU has lifted sanctions on three liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers managed by Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines after obtaining commitments from relevant parties to cease transporting Russian LNG.
The previously sanctioned vessels, the “Arctic Moonlight,” “Arctic Ocean,” and “Arctic Light,” were primarily responsible for transporting cargo from the Yamal LNG plant and conducting ship-to-ship transfer operations near the port of Murmansk in northern Russia.
This move is part of the EU’s 18th round of sanctions targeting Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The European Commission stated on its official website that, given the firm commitments made by the involved parties, these three LNG carriers “will no longer be involved in the energy transport operations for the Russian Yamal and Arctic 2 projects they were originally contracted for,” and thus have been removed from the sanctions list.
“This action demonstrates the effectiveness of the EU’s targeted sanctions on vessels, while also proving that ships can resume operations after making firm commitments.” The three carriers were built last year at South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean shipyard.
