UK Sanctions Five LNG Carriers in New Russia Package

The United Kingdom has sanctioned five liquefied natural gas carriers as part of a new package of measures targeting Russia’s efforts to expand a maritime “shadow fleet” for LNG exports, including three Russian-built Arc7 ice-class vessels intended to support the Arctic LNG 2 project.

The five LNG carriers named in the Oct. 1 sanctions notice are Chaivo, Portovyy, Aleksey Kosygin, Konstantin Posiet and Pyotr Stolypin. The vessels are subject to UK shipping and trade sanctions that prohibit their operation and chartering, bar them from UK ports and restrict the provision and procurement of a broad range of maritime services.

The three newest vessels – Aleksey Kosygin, Konstantin Posyet and Pyotr Stolypin – are part of a series of large high ice-class LNG carriers being built for Russia’s Arctic LNG program. Aleksey Kosygin was delivered in December 2025 while Konstantin Posyet followed in June 2026. Pyotr Stolypin was being prepared for sea trials at the Zvezda shipyard in September, according to Russian state oil company Rosneft.

London’s sanctioning of Pyotr Stolypin before entering commercial service is noteworthy. By sanctioning the vessel before it enters commercial service, the UK is effectively moving to constrain Russia’s future Arctic LNG shipping capacity rather than targeting only vessels already engaged in sanctioned trade.

The three ships are particularly significant because Arc7 vessels are designed to navigate heavy Arctic ice without an escort and provide Russia with the ability to transport LNG along the Northern Sea Route. Konstantin Posyet, which entered service this year, has already sailed the Northern Sea Route to Arctic LNG 2 and loaded a cargo at the Utrenniey terminal.

The other two newly sanctioned LNG carriers, Chaivo and Portovyy, are older conventional LNG tankers. The UK said Chaivo has been involved in carrying Russian LNG to third countries and listed Tudor Maritime and CryoLine Management as its current operators. Portovyy is operated by Russia’s Gazprom.

Portovyy was also involved in an unusual eastbound LNG voyage this summer, sailing from Gazprom’s Portovaya facility in the Baltic through the Northern Sea Route to China. The 277-meter vessel, which had served as floating storage at Portovaya since 2022, had not previously left the facility. Its August voyage marked a significant shift in Russia’s LNG logistics by using the Arctic route to connect a sanctioned Baltic export facility with Asian markets rather than relying on the traditional route through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal.

The eight-vessel package also includes three shadow-fleet oil tankers and two ships providing bunkering services. The UK government said the package comprises 23 individuals and entities and eight ships, with the maritime targets subject to shipping and trade restrictions.

The new measures come as Britain prepares to further restrict Russian LNG trade. Existing UK licensing arrangements for maritime transportation of Russian LNG have been extended on a targeted and time-limited basis to support energy security in Japan and South Korea. 

“As part of the UK’s work with international partners to support their transition away from Russian energy, existing licensing arrangements have been extended to cover LNG, on a targeted and time-limited basis, to support the Republic of Korea’s and Japan’s energy security,” a UK government statement said. 

The UK has separately said its ban on UK maritime and insurance services connected with Russian LNG exports will take effect from January 1, 2027.

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