EventOn 16 June 2026 the UK imposed sanctions on four LNG carriers—Orion, Merkuriy, Kosmos and Luch—linked to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project. The vessels operate along Norway’s northern coast, a key shipping lane for Russian gas exports, and are now barred from international operations. The move also names several GRU officers and Yandex Bank.
United Kingdom has sanctioned four LNG carriers linked to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project that operate along Norway’s northern coast, a key shipping lane for Russian gas exports.
UK announced sanctions against four LNG carriers belonging to the First GBS of the Arctic LNG 2 project, restricting their operations and underscoring geopolitical tensions over Russian gas exports.
Britain imposed sanctions on four LNG carriers tied to Russia's Arctic LNG 2, marking the first G7 move to curb the project's shadow fleet operations.
Britain’s sanctions on four newly acquired LNG carriers—Orion, Merkuriy, Kosmos, and Luch—linked to Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project block their use in transporting Russian LNG to third countries, marking the first G7 move to curb the expanding Arctic “shadow fleet” and tightening Russia’s long‑haul shipping to Asia.
The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on a range of LNG‑carrying tankers that serve the Arctic LNG‑2 project, marking the first G7 country to target Russia’s shadow fleet and potentially disrupting Arctic shipping and energy flows.
The UK imposed sanctions on Russian ships that were newly acquired to export LNG from the Arctic, becoming the first G7 country to do so.
Britain became the first G7 country to sanction four LNG vessels recently acquired for Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project, adding to a broader package that limits Russia’s LNG exports to 1.3 million tonnes in 2025 and targets a shadow fleet of 600 vessels.
