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Norway seizes Russian ship in the Arctic over Ukraine's $4.2 billion Crimea claim
Euronews.com • • general
Key Points:
- Norwegian authorities seized the Russian state-owned ship "Professor Molchanov" at Barentsburg port in Svalbard, acting on a court order linked to Ukraine's Naftogaz seeking compensation for assets Russia expropriated in Crimea in 2014.
- The seizure follows a 2023 arbitration ruling by The Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration ordering Russia to pay Naftogaz approximately $4.2 billion plus interest for unlawfully seizing Crimean energy assets, which Russia has refused to pay.
- Naftogaz, represented by law firms Wikborg Rein and Covington & Burling, is actively pursuing Russian assets globally to enforce the award, with similar seizures already made in Finland and France.
- Barentsburg, a Russian coal-mining settlement on Norwegian territory under the Svalbard Treaty, provides the location for the seizure, and the vessel involved operates commercial expedition cruises to the Arctic region.
- Norwegian authorities have restricted the ship from leaving and are managing passengers separately, while the Kremlin has not yet commented on the incident.
