At the request of Naftogaz Group, Norwegian authorities have seized the Russian ship Professor Molchanov in the port of Barentsburg on Svalbard, the company writes on its website.
Norwegian police confirm this.
– The police on Svalbard have today seized the vessel in Barentsburg, Håkon Finstad, operations manager on Svalbard, tells Aftenposten.
Used for commercial cruisesThe vessel in question, Professor Molchanov, is owned by Russia and is used for commercial expedition cruises, including to Svalbard. The vessel is not permitted to leave its current position.
Naftogaz further states that the ship was seized by Nord-Troms and Senja District Court on 31 August.
The seizure is part of a global effort intended to ensure that Russia fulfils its outstanding obligations. The obligation amounts to approximately 4.22 billion US dollars, in addition to interest and costs.
Demands compensationSince 2016, Naftogaz has sought compensation from Russia through the legal system after Moscow seized the company’s assets during the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
– Russia will not get away with refusing to comply with an international arbitration award, acting Naftogaz chief Sergii Fedorenko states.
The Governor of Svalbard states in a press release that the District Court has ordered the ship to remain berthed wherever the Governor determines, and that it has been decided that the vessel shall remain berthed in Barentsburg until the Governor or the District Court decides otherwise.
The Governor will take care of the crew and passengers aboard the vessel in cooperation with Trust Arcticugol. (NTB)
Russia is protesting vehemently against the Norwegian authorities’ seizure of a Russian cruise ship at the request of a Ukrainian company. The Ukrainians want compensation for assets they lost when Russia took over Crimea in 2014. But since the countries are at war, Norway risks being drawn in, and in the highly sensitive area of Svalbard.
After Norwegian authorities seized a Russian vessel on Svalbard, the Russian Foreign Ministry is accusing Norway of piracy.
The statement from the Foreign Ministry in Moscow was relayed on Thursday by the Russian state news agency Tass, which is quoted by Reuters.
The police on Svalbard confirmed to Aftenposten on Wednesday that they had seized the Russian ship Professor Molchanov in the port of Barentsburg.
The ship was seized at the request of the Ukrainian state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz. The background was that since 2016 Naftogaz has sought compensation from the Russian authorities after they seized the company’s assets on the Crimean Peninsula when it was occupied and annexed in 2014. (NTB)
It is doubtful whether Ukraine can harbour any hope of ever regaining Crimea. Why Norway chooses to comply with the Ukrainian demand precisely in the present situation is the question. It is ten years since the claim was made.
It is Ukraine’s largest oil and gas company that is involved. The ship is Russian, but Naftogaz wants to use it as security for what it believes it is owed. When a NATO country such as Norway intervenes in favour of one of the parties, it can become a situation in which there is no turning back. The Norwegian judicial system is now involved, and the Governor of Svalbard has used her authority to seize the vessel in the Russian mining town of Barentsburg. Norway risks great powers putting obstacles in the way of Norwegian sovereignty. Much is at stake. Russia is, after all, a great power.
To what extent has Norway secured backing from its allies?
At the request of Naftogaz, Ukraine’s largest state-owned oil and gas company, Norwegian authorities have seized a Russian vessel on Svalbard.
