More than 100 members of the European Parliament and EU national legislatures have signed an appeal compiled by advocacy group Urgewald urging Denmark’s Fayard shipyard to stop servicing specialized LNG carriers that transport Russian Arctic gas,
Fayard is the last European shipyard still maintaining the icebreaking vessels, which are seen as critical to Moscow’s Yamal LNG export project.
The appeal argues that maintenance work carried out this summer could help extend the operational life of Russia’s specialized Arc7 LNG fleet for years, undermining European efforts to curb Kremlin energy revenues after the European Union’s Russian LNG restrictions take full effect in 2027.
Ukrainian presidential sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk said in a statement accompanying the appeal that “every Arc7 tanker serviced in Denmark helps preserve one of the Kremlin’s most strategically important energy projects”.
Danish Member of the European Parliament Villy Søvndal, one of the signatories, said European companies should not exploit “a final loophole for short-term profit,” arguing that Denmark’s strong political support for Ukraine should also be reflected by its private sector.
Dutch-owned Damen Shiprepair Brest, previously the only other European yard servicing the vessels, stopped accepting Russian LNG carriers after completing its final Arc7 maintenance project in 2024. That left Fayard as the fleet’s last repair option within the EU.
It was asserted by campaigners that as many as six Arc7 carriers could undergo maintenance at Fayard during the summer of 2026. New EU rules prohibiting maritime services for LNG vessels operating in Russia enter into force on January 1st 2027. Because major overhauls are typically performed roughly every three years, critics claim that this work in 2026 would effectively provide Russia’s Arctic LNG fleet with a fresh maintenance cycle through to 2029.
Conventional LNG carriers cannot independently navigate the ice-covered Northern Sea Route throughout the year to Yamal LNG.
Yamal LNG accounts for more than 60% of Russia’s LNG exports. It remains one of Novatek’s flagship projects. Until now the project itself has largely escaped direct Western sanctions, but the EU has approved a phased ban that will prohibit imports of Russian LNG from January 2027, while also barring EU companies from transporting Russian LNG regardless of destination.
Fayard has in the past said that the maintenance complied with current EU sanctions and acts to support maritime safety. It also noted that Europe was continuing to import Russian LNG ahead of the 2027 phaseout.