Norway detains Russian passenger vessel Professor Molchanov in Svalbard
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Norwegian authorities seized the Russian ship Professor Molchanov at Barentsburg following a court order to enforce a $4.22 billion arbitral award against Russia.
Norwegian officials detained the Russian passenger vessel Professor Molchanov at the Barentsburg port in Svalbard on 2 September, acting on a court order to secure enforcement of an international arbitral award against the Russian Federation. The Nord-Troms and Senja District Court had ordered the seizure on 31 August to guarantee payment of roughly $4.22 billion, plus interest and costs, owed under the award.
The request for the seizure came from Naftogaz Group, Ukraine’s state-owned energy company, which said the action supports global efforts to hold Russia accountable for assets seized in Crimea in 2014. Naftogaz praised the Norwegian authorities for assisting in the enforcement of the award.
"The Governor of Svalbard, acting as the enforcement authority, seized the vessel on Wednesday, 2 September, following an order from the Nord-Troms District Court," the Governor said in a statement.
The governor, who also has police authority on the archipelago, said the ship will remain berthed in Barentsburg until further notice and that officials will ensure the safety of the crew and passengers in cooperation with Arktikugol, the Russian state-owned operator of Svalbard businesses.
The Professor Molchanov, a 43-year-old oceanographic research vessel built in Finland, has been operating between Murmansk and Barentsburg for the second season, carrying students, researchers and other groups. It is managed by Russia’s Northern Directorate for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, part of the state meteorological service.
No comment has been received from Russian authorities in Moscow or from Arktikugol regarding the seizure.