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Four tankers thought to load at Russian LNG terminals changed names and flags
On Oct 15, 2026, four LNG carriers sailed through the Bering Strait and into the Sea of Okhotsk, all with freshly painted letters on their hulls, the 'Oneiroi' (IMO: 9958327), 'Melicertes' (IMO: 9958303), 'Neleus' (IMO: 9958315), and 'Aeolus' (IMO: 9958298). All ships had been renamed shortly before their Arctic voyage. Their previous names were 'North Valley', 'North Moon', 'North Ocean' and 'North Light'. The ships were all built at the Hanwha Ocean shipyard in Okpo, South Korea, in 2024 and 2025, and were until recently owned and operated by the Korean shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines. Along with the name change came a change of flag state and ownership. On Sep 1, the ships changed flag states from Singapore to Panama. Similarly, they all shared the same ISM manager. Most likely, all four tankers were connected with Novatek, the Russian natural gas company that owns and operates Russia’s two biggest LNG plants, Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2. Three of the ships, the 'North Moon', 'North Ocean' and 'North Light', were added to the EU sanctions list in May 2025, but were excluded from the list in September again, following a guarantee from the company not to participate in the transportation of LNG from Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2. Now the four ships might once again be liable for sanctions. On Oct 19, the tankers sailed into the Kara Sea, likely to proceed to the Gulf of Ob to load LNG at either Yamal LNG or Arctic LNG 2. The four tankers were probably part of the growing fleet of LNG tankers serving Novatek and its Arctic operations. Novatek now has a fleet of more than 18 tankers serving the Arctic LNG 2 project alone.
LNG tankers stillidled half a year after sanctions were lifted
Four MOL LNG tankers were idling more than half a year after the European Union lifted its sanctions following assurances that the vessels would not be used for the transport of Russian LNG. Three of them, the 'North Moon', 'North Ocean' and 'North Light', were briefly sanctioned by the EU in 2025 over suspected links to Russian Arctic gas exports and have since idled off Indonesia, underscoring a lack of employment even after the designation was lifted, while a fourth remains without charter in European waters. In May 2025, the European Union had added the 'North Moon', 'North Ocean' and 'North Light' to its 17th sanctions package, targeting vessels it said were “operated in such a way as to contribute or support actions or policies for the exploitation, development or expansion of the energy sector in Russia, including energy infrastructure” through their involvement in transporting Russian LNG from projects like Yamal LNG and potentially Arctic LNG 2. In July 2025, the EU delisted the three tankers after receiving assurances that they would no longer engage in the transport of Russian energy” from either Yamal or Arctic LNG 2. Since late June/July 2025, the 'North Moon', 'North Ocean' and 'North Light',have been anchored off Batam under Singapore flags and remained insured through Japan P&I and UK P&I clubs. The 'North Valley', the fourth vessel in the same series, was never sanctioned by the EU, but appeared to have been idle for months off the coast of the Netherlands and more recently Spain, showing no clear new charter. Fear of future sanctions may be holding charterers back from dealing with the vessels. Another factor limiting their employment prospects may be that Arc4 ice-class carriers are niche assets. Their reinforced hulls and winterization make them better suited for Arctic operations, but may render them relatively uneconomical to operate year-round in ice-free waters compared with more standard LNG carriers optimized for regular trades. The number of LNG export or import terminals that routinely required ice-class vessels remained limited, principally including projects like Russia’s Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2, further narrowing markets where the four vessels’ unique capabilities are an asset rather than an over-specification.
Sanctioned tankers en route to Northern Russia
The 'North Light' and 'North Moon' have set course for far northern Russian waters. The 'North Light' left the port of Okvo on Nov 1, 2024. About two months later, they were sailing in north Norwegian waters with course for Murmansk. The ship was moored near Honningsvåg in pos. 70° 58' N 025° 46' E on Jan 29, 20225, for orders. The 'North Moon' had sailed from Anjeong on Oct 25 and was approaching Murmansk with an ETA as of Feb 3. They might also sail further east to the Ob Bay where Russia has two major LNG projects, the Yamal LNG and the Arctic LNG 2. The latter is heavily sanctioned by US and EU authorities, and all project infrastructure ships and operations are in a state of paralysis. The two LNG carriers are likely to be part of the so-called 'shadow fleet' that brings sanctioned Russian goods to international markets. The ships were built at Hanwha Ocean, the shipyard that previously was known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) along with four other tankers 'North Way', 'North Mountain', 'North Air' and 'North Sky', that have drifted around over several weeks in the Pechora Sea, since they were included in EU's latest sanctions list on Dec 17, 2024. The ships are also sanctioned by the US Treasury. The Dubai-based entity White Fox Ship Management operates the vessels, which were contracted by the DSME in 2020 in order to transport LNG for Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia.The 'North Light' and 'North Moon' are most likely part of this fleet, along with the 'North Way', 'North Mountain', 'North Air and 'North Sky'. In addition to these tankers, Novatek also signed charter contracts for 15 vessels from Russia’s Zvezda yard. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the introduction of international sanctions, the cooperation between the DSME and Novatek gradually came to a halt.
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