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Sanctioned tanker without ice protection came to stop in Arctic waters

The 'Lynx' has been forced to wait several days due to ice conditions before proceeding along Russia’s Northern Sea Route. The tanker, which was transporting around a million barrels of oil from Murmansk to China, came to a stop at 72° northern latitude in the High Arctic on Sep 6, 2025. Its exact destination remained unknown. The vessel was one of several oil tankers without ice protection shuttling Moscow’s crude to buyers in China via the Arctic. The vessel encountered late-season sea ice highlighting the navigational challenges for ships without ice protection in Arctic waters. After several days, the tanker started proceeding at a very slow speeds in close proximity to the shoreline to find a route through the ice. The vessel does not hold a mandatory Arctic shipping permit, and Russian authorities did not list it in their daily logs of active traffic on the route, an increasingly common practice to obscure sanction-busting shipping activity. The 'Lyn' has been sanctioned by the US, UK, EU and others for violating the G7 oil price cap and engaging in irregular high-risk shipping practices. Already start of September, the LNG carrier 'Arctic Metagaz' was delayed in the area around Pevek for more than a week. Neither vessel had arranged for icebreaker escorts ahead of time as would have been required by navigational rules. Non ice-class vessels are not permitted to operate independently even in light ice conditions, according to the rules set by the Northern Sea Route administration. Both vessels finally were able to proceed only with the assistance of nuclear icebreakers operating in the area. Another LNG carrier, the 'La Perouse', also without ice-class, turned around in the waters off Western Siberia and chose to instead take the long way around Africa. The shortage of ice-class vessels has forced it to increasingly use ships without protection and stretching navigational rules.

Ship added to EU sanction list

The European Union has adopted its newest sanctions package on Dec 16, 2024, at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, adding 52 new vessels, among them the 'Leo', to the sanctions list that have been deemed by the EU to be supporting Russia’s war machine. The vessels that have been sanctioned are primarily involved in circumventing the oil price cap mechanism implemented by the West, in arms deliveries, and in the transportation of stolen grain. This latest package has brought the total number of vessels sanctioned by the EU to 79. The majority of the vessels are involved in the transport of Russian oil and in transporting arms for the Russian military. The sanctions package also targets a total of 54 individuals and 30 entities that are deemed to be bolstering Russia’s war effort. Among them, there are also entities and individuals in China and North Korea who have been deemed to be supplying Russia with dual-use materials to support Russia’s military efforts. Two senior North Korean officials and seven Chinese individuals and companies have been targeted in the latest sanctions. The purpose of the sanctions has been defined to increase the operational costs for Russia by banning them from ports in the EU and hindering them from receiving maritime services.

Tanker rescued 10 fishermen

The fishing trawler "Baraka" started getting water ingress in Atlantic Ocean off Western Africa. The vessel was sinking and the crew sent distress signal requesting assistance and immediate evacuation. The "Leonid Loza"responded to the distress call and headed to the troubled trawled. All 10 fishermen were rescued and safely lifted on board of the tanker. The trawler was partially submerged and salvage was not possible due to safety reasons. The tanker headed to Freetown and handed over the castaways to the local authorities. The tanker resumed the voyage to Dalia offshore terminal in Angola, ETA Nov 15, 2016, for loading of crude oil. All the ten rescued fishermen were in good health and without reported injuries. The people were citizens of the Republic of Sierra Leone and will be carried home by the local government