Norway has detained two cargo ships, at least one of which is linked to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project. The vessels were stopped last week, though the detentions received little media attention at the time. Both ships remain off the Norwegian coast.
One of the detained vessels, Ya Qing Hai Yang (IMO1021570) is a heavy-lift cargo ship. It was likely stopped by Norwegian authorities on Oct. 14.
European authorities have largely targeted oil tankers and LNG carriers involved in transporting Russian energy. Ya Qing Hai Yang is neither, but it has documented ties to Arctic LNG 2, Novatek’s liquefied natural gas project on the Gydan Peninsula in Russia’s Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District.
In October 2024, the vessel helped transport power-generation modules from China to Russia’s Utrenny port, which serves the Arctic LNG 2 project. The ship was later placed under sanctions over that activity.
According to Starboard Maritime Intelligence data reviewed by The Insider, early this month Ya Qing Hai Yang was spotted several kilometers away from the Norwegian border. The Barents Observer reported on the vessel’s presence on Oct. 8. The ship had sailed from Hong Kong, making several stops in the Russian Far East before travelling along the Northern Sea Route — the shipping corridor connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via Russia’s Arctic coast.
The cargo ship was sailing under the Guatemalan flag. However, because Guatemala does not maintain a public ship registry, Lloyd’s List has classified the registration as potentially false.
Norwegian authorities have confirmed the detention of Ya Qing Hai Yang. Another cargo vessel, the Chinese-flagged Jian Yang Cheng He (IMO 9813137) was stopped with it. That ship is not under sanctions, and no connection to Russian projects is known. It also left Hong Kong in mid-July and traveled along the Northern Sea Route.
According to the Norwegian Coast Guard, both vessels had sought shelter from a storm near Andøya island in northern Norway. Coast Guard personnel inspected the ships, but authorities have not disclosed the results or said whether any violations were found.
The Insider sent questions to the Norwegian Coast Guard but had not received a response as of the time of publication.
Over the past two years, European authorities have stepped up seizures of sanctioned vessels linked to Russia, most of them tankers carrying oil or gas. France has recorded the most detentions, with at least six. The most recent occurred on Oct. 12, when French troops boarded the tanker DF Peak, as was announced by President Emmanuel Macron.
According to The Insider’s analysis, the Norwegian authorities have not directly detained any tankers, but they did seize a research vessel in September at the request of Ukraine’s Naftogaz, and they detained the cargo ship Silver Dania in late January 2025 over its suspected involvement in damage to an undersea cable. However, the ship was released soon afterward.
