Norway Detained A Vessel That Was Servicing The Russian "Arctic LNG 2" Project
- 20.10.2026, 13:10
It used the Guatemalan flag.
Norwegian authorities have detained two cargo ships, one of which, the Ya Qing Hai Yang, is subject to sanctions due to its connection to “Arctic LNG 2”—a Russian natural gas production project on the Gydan Peninsula. According to the Coast Guard, this occurred on October 14. According to Starboard Maritime Intelligence, at the beginning of the month, the Ya Qing Hai Yang was located a few kilometers from the Russian-Norwegian border. The vessel had sailed from Hong Kong, made several stops in the Far East, and was traveling along the Northern Sea Route. At the time, it was flying the Guatemalan flag, which can be classified as a false flag, since that country does not have a public ship registry, as noted by The Insider.
In 2024, the Ya Qing Hai Yang was involved in transporting power generation modules from China to the Russian port of “Utrenniy,” which serves the “Arctic LNG 2” project. As a result, the vessel was added to the sanctions lists of the U.S., the EU, and Switzerland. Along with the Ya Qing Hai Yang, Norwegian authorities detained the Chinese-flagged cargo ship Jian Yang Cheng He. It is not subject to sanctions, and no reports have been made regarding its ties to Russian projects. In mid-July, the Jian Yang Cheng He also departed from Hong Kong and set course for the Northern Sea Route.
According to the Norwegian Coast Guard, both vessels were taking shelter from a storm near the island of Annøya in the north of the country. Coast Guard officers conducted an inspection, but no details were reported regarding its results or any allegations against the crews. Meanwhile, the vessels remain off the coast of Norway.
In recent years, European countries have repeatedly detained vessels linked to Russia and subject to sanctions. Most often, these were tankers carrying oil and gas. France has carried out at least six such detentions.
Norwegian authorities previously detained the cargo ship Silver Dania on suspicion of damaging an undersea cable in February 2025, but soon released it. In September, the country also confiscated the Roshydromet research vessel “Professor Molchanov” at the request of Ukraine’s Naftogaz. Kyiv is seeking its forced sale as part of a $4.22 billion recovery from Russia under an arbitration award concerning the company’s assets in Crimea.