UK imposes sanctions on 10 vessels linked to Russian energy shipments

MOSCOW. Nov 12 (Interfax) - The United Kingdom has added ten vessels to its Russia sanctions list, including five LNG carriers, five oil tankers and an LNG storage and transshipment unit, according to a notice published by the UK Foreign Office.

The list includes the LNG carriers Melicertes (Norvex Pte Ltd, Panama), Neleus (Trivanta Pte Ltd, Panama), Perle, Aeolus and Oneiroi, as well as the floating unit Koryak FSU, operated by Novatek .

The oil tankers Apeks, Sara Sky, Balu 6, Yvika and Alma have also been placed under restrictions.

As grounds for imposing restrictions on a number of vessels, the British authorities cited their alleged involvement in transporting Russian oil, petroleum products or liquefied natural gas from Russia to third countries.

According to the notice, vessels added to the sanctions list are prohibited from being chartered and operated. They are also prohibited from entering British ports; detention, entry ban or movement orders may be issued with respect to them. The restrictions also extend to the provision of technical assistance, crew servicing, operation, chartering, brokerage and financial support services.

The Koryak FSU floating LNG storage facility, built by Novatek, is installed near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka. The facility is intended to ensure the transshipment of LNG delivered from northern Russian fields along the Northern Sea Route by ice-class LNG carriers to Bechevinskaya Bay. After transshipment via floating gas storage facilities onto LNG carriers without ice reinforcement, LNG cargoes will be transported to the Asia-Pacific region.