The European Union has removed three Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) managed Arc4 LNGCs, ‘North Moon’, ‘North Ocean’, and ‘North Light’, from its sanctions list as part of the 18th package of restrictive measures announced last Friday.
The de-listing follows written assurances that the vessels will not be used to ship Russian LNG from the Yamal LNG or Arctic LNG 2 projects.
They were initially sanctioned in the EU’s 17th package, issued in May, 2025, amid concerns over their intended deployment in NOVATEK’s Russia’s Arctic LNG supply chain.
At the time, MOL publicly objected to the inclusion of the ships on the sanctions list.
In a May, 2025 interview, MOL President & CEO Takeshi Hashimoto, said the company was “actively negotiating with the EU through various channels, including the Japanese government,” and expressed frustration over what he called a sudden reclassification: “For a long time, it was asserted that the Yamal project was not subject to sanctions, and suddenly these vessels were sanctioned.”
