Shady gas carriers stop off near Norway’s border
A bay on the Rybachii Peninsula only a few kilometres from the Norwegian border has become a key waiting area for LNG tankers involved in shipments of sanctioned Russian Arctic gas.
Bolshaya Volokovaya Bay, on the western side of the Rybachy Peninsula (Fisherman’s Peninsula), is increasingly being used as a stopover site for tankers transporting sanctioned Arctic LNG.
The site is located only about 30 kilometres from the Norwegian border.
Tankers use the bay while waiting for transshipment operations at the Saam floating storage unit (FSU) in Ura Bay.
Most of the vessels involved are subject to international sanctions. Among them are the Christophe de Margerie and the Aleksey Kosygin, two carriers that shuttle between the Arctic LNG 2 plant on the Gydan Peninsula and the Saam FSU.
Both the Arctic LNG 2 project and the Saam FSU are themselves subject to sanctions.
The gas and related infrastructure belong to Novatek, a key developer of natural gas projects in the Russian Arctic. LNG from Arctic LNG 2 is shipped to Ura Bay, where it is transferred to the Saam FSU before being exported by other tankers to international markets.
Bolshaya Volokovaya Bay is about five kilometres wide and separates the Rybachy Peninsula from the Sredny Peninsula.
Since the beginning of April 2026, at least 12 LNG carriers have stopped in the bay on their way to the Saam FSU.
Among them are the Zarya (IMO 9953535), Arctic Vostok (IMO 9216298), Arctic Mulan (IMO 9864837), La Perouse (IMO 9849887), Iris (IMO 9953523), Arctic Pioneer (IMO 9256602), Aleksey Kosygin (IMO 9904546), Buran (IMO 9953509), Voskhod (IMO 9953511), Merkuriy (IMO 9326689), Luch (IMO 9317315) and Orion (IMO 9294264).
With the exception of the Merkuriy, Orion and Luch, all of the vessels listed are subject to sanctions.
However, these three carriers can also be described as “shadow vessels”. Since the beginning of 2026, two of them have changed names several times. The Orion previously sailed under the names Sea LNG, Vakit LNG and Nizwa LNG, while the Luch was formerly known as Lake LNG, Akit LNG and Ibri LNG, according to the Equasis shipping database.
The vessels’ flag states and ownership structures have also changed repeatedly.
Norwegian authorities are closely monitoring the shipments.
“The Norwegian Coastal Administration is monitoring traffic and has noted the trend involving vessels west of the Fisherman’s Peninsula,” said Arve Dimmen, Director of Navigation Technology and Maritime Services at the Norwegian Coastal Administration.
Dimmen explained that Norwegian Coast Guard vessels carry oil spill response equipment that can be deployed in the event of an accident.
“The Norwegian Coastal Administration does not maintain a dedicated emergency response capability specifically for this area, but we have oil spill response depots, resources aboard Coast Guard vessels, and our own ships, as in other coastal areas.
“High-risk vessels — for example those carrying dangerous or polluting cargo — operating near Norway or transiting through the area are registered, and their activities are included in our ongoing risk assessments,” he added.
