(Bloomberg) -- The UK has sanctioned five vessels and two entities linked to Russia’s liquefied natural gas exports, including tankers believed to have loaded at its newest export facility in the Arctic region.
The ships included Pioneer and Asya Energy, also sanctioned by the US last month, according to a government statement published Thursday. Both previously loaded the first two shipments from the Arctic LNG 2 that Russia started despite US restrictions.
“Today’s action builds on efforts alongside allies to bear down on Russia’s attempts to bolster its future energy revenues,” according to the statement. The UK has now sanctioned 15 vessels and entities involved in the Russian LNG sector, it added.
The move shows the pressure on Russia’s LNG ambitions even as the country remains one of the top suppliers of the super-chilled fuel to the European Union. While the UK has banned all Russian gas after the Kremlin started its war in Ukraine, there’s still no EU-wide ban on the fuel.
The Arctic LNG 2 was sanctioned by the US in November 2023 even before it started. Buyers, including those in Europe, anxious not to fall foul of American restrictions, have been warned off gas from the plant. The UK sanctioned the project earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Russia has spent months developing what is believed to be a shadow fleet of tankers to transport LNG, similar to what it did for oil. Such vessels have opaque ownership, unknown insurers and deploy practices such as hiding their location by switching off or manipulating their automatic identification systems.
The sanctioned LNG tanker Pioneer is currently headed south in the Red Sea after exiting the Suez Canal, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Its final destination is unclear.
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