EU shipyards help service Arctic gas tankers from the Russian Federation - Media.

Repair shipyards in EU countries continue to service Russian ice-class tankers transporting gas through the Arctic. This allows Moscow to ensure gas supplies in winter despite the sanctions imposed on the Russian energy sector.

According to Financial Times, the French shipyard Damen and the Danish shipyard Fayard A/S provide necessary maintenance for the Russian Yamal LNG plant for transporting gas to important markets. Overall, these shipyards service 14 out of 15 Arc7 tankers transporting gas from Yamal. Some vessels visit these shipyards multiple times.

Arctic shipping expert Malte Gumpert from High North News, who tracks the movements of these vessels, said: 'If these shipyards were to become unavailable, it would threaten the entire logistics operation. They might have found another place for servicing, but it would significantly deviate them from their route.'

These shipyards began servicing tankers from Yamal after the Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022. Eight tankers have been serviced at the French shipyard, and nine at the Danish one. Most of these vessels belong to energy and shipping companies.

Damen confirmed that it had serviced 'several vessels associated with the transportation of Russian LNG', but emphasized that this does not violate European sanctions. It also stated that there are no plans for repairs on these vessels any Time soon.

However, the European Commission has a political goal to reduce imports of Russian gas. But the EU's plans to reduce the use of Russian hydrocarbons to zero are under threat due to the increase in imports of Russian LNG from Yamal.

These shipyards and vessels are not subject to sanctions as they are engaged in the transportation of energy resources and do not sail under the Russian flag. Tankers could not continue transporting gas without the technical maintenance and expertise of European shipyards.

The only tanker that has not approached either of these two shipyards is the Christophe de Margerie, owned by the Russian company Sovcomflot and subject to sanctions. The EU imposed sanctions on this vessel on December 16 - this is the first instance where the bloc applied restrictions concerning Yamal operations. The US had already imposed sanctions on the Yamal project.

The tanker Christophe de Margerie could not access European shipyards, so it was blocked for six months. This indicates that the Arc7 tankers depend on European knowledge and spare parts.