Norway seizes Russian ship to enforce $4.2 billion claim by Ukrainian energy firm

The vessel, the Professor Molchanov, was seized off the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard after a 24-hour standoff with the Norwegian Coast Guard, according to Covington.Follow us on GoogleA drone view shows the Russian-flagged general cargo ship Omskiy-107 aground off the coast of Sile in Istanbul, Turkey, September 1, 2026.(photo credit: REUTERS/MURAD SEZER)SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 10:02Norway has seized a Russian ship in the Arctic to enforce a $4.22 billion compensation claim won by Ukrainian energy firm Naftogaz over Moscow's seizure of its assets when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, officials said late on Wednesday.The vessel, the Professor Molchanov, was seized off the Norwegian Arctic archipelago of Svalbard after a 24-hour standoff with the Norwegian Coast Guard, according to Covington, the US law firm representing Naftogaz.Russian state news agency TASS quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying the Norwegian action was "piracy."Naftogaz has been pursuing legal action against Russia since 2016 to seek compensation for the expropriation of its property in Crimea.A tribunal in The Hague in April 2023 ordered Russia to pay Naftogaz $4.22 billion plus interest and legal costs, but Moscow has not done so.A drone view shows the Russian-flagged tanker Bratsk, which is under U.S. sanctions for links to the Russian state-owned shipping company Sovcomflot, near the Baniyas oil terminal, in Baniyas, Syria, April 8, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/KHALIL ASHAWI)"Russia cannot evade responsibility simply by refusing to comply with an international arbitral award," said Naftogaz Acting CEO Sergii Fedorenko.Covington tracks the Professor Molchanov for monthsCovington, the law firm, said it had been tracking the Professor Molchanov, a Russian-owned vessel that is used for commercial cruises, for months.Anticipating the ship's arrival in Svalbard en route to Barentsburg, a Russian mining settlement, Naftogaz's lawyers applied to a Norwegian court for the vessel to be arrested there and subject to a compulsory sale.The application was approved by the Nord-Troms and Senja District Court on Monday. In its ruling, it required the governor of Svalbard to enforce the order, supervise the vessel, and ensure that it is not moved.The governor's office issued a statement confirming that the ship had been seized and would be held in Svalbard.Naftogaz has said it is coordinating enforcement measures across multiple jurisdictions, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Finland, where Russian assets have been frozen. Russia is appealing the process, saying no notice was given."We will continue to pursue Russian assets around the world until the compensation awarded to Naftogaz and other Naftogaz Group companies is paid," the Ukrainian company said.Russia calls Norway's seizure of its ship 'piracy', TASS reportsThe Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday called Norway's seizure of a Russian vessel at the request of Ukrainian state firm Naftogaz "piracy."The Ukrainian company has been pursuing legal action against Russia since 2016 to seek compensation for Moscow's expropriation of Naftogaz property when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.Norway seized the ship on Wednesday, after Moscow failed to pay Naftogaz $4.22 billion plus interest and legal costs to compensate for assets it seized in Crimea following a 2023 ruling by a tribunal in The Hague.Alexei Chekunkov, Russia's Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, said Moscow would challenge the ruling, saying the seizure of the vessel, "Professor Molchanov," was "another example of Western countries' legal nihilism and lawlessness," according to the Interfax news agency.Follow us on Google