Danish Shipyard Remains Key Lifeline for Russia’s Yamal LNG Fleet

A Danish shipyard has remained the single EU facility that services LNG carriers that transport gas from Novatek’s Yamal LNG terminal, the Financial Times has reported, citing a local NGO.

According to data from the organization, Urgewald, the Fayard shipyard is providing dry dock services to the Arc7 class LNG carriers specially designed to navigate Arctic waters, with six of the 15 such vessels in operations scheduled to receive repairs at the Danish port this summer, despite opposition from the Danish government, the report said. The vessels are not yet under sanctions, but these are due to come into effect from the start of 2027. Last year, Fayard serviced five Russian LNG carriers, the organization also reported.

Also from the start of 2027, a ban on Russian gas exports to the European Union will take effect, with the implementation interesting to watch, seeing as the EU has been importing record volumes of the commodity from Russia this year as member states rush to refill depleted gas storage ahead of the next winter season.

In anticipation of the inevitable supply crunch, the EU decided to phase in the LNG sanctions gradually, beginning with long-term contracts at the start of 2027 and banning spot market purchases six months later.

The EU’s sanctions package was debated for more than a month after it was first presented, as Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria were holdouts seeking assurances that energy costs wouldn’t spike without Russian energy. The EU is currently drafting its 21^st sanction package against Russia. The bloc boosted its imports of Russian gas from the Yamal LNG project to a record high in the first four months of 2026. The EU welcomed as many as 91 cargoes from Yamal LNG between January and April, with the delivered LNG volumes 17.2% higher compared to the same period of last year.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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