European parliamentarians ask Danish shipyard to stop servicing Russian LNG tankers — UnionPress
A coalition of 101 lawmakers from across the EU has urged Fayard shipyard to refuse any further work on ice‑class vessels that carry Russian liquefied natural gas, warning that pre‑sanction maintenance would undermine the bloc's upcoming embargo.
European parliamentarians and national legislators have written to the chief executive of Denmark's Fayard shipyard, demanding that the firm halt all repair and maintenance work on the specialised Arc7 ice‑class tankers that transport Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Arctic. The open letter, signed by 101 parliamentarians from 16 EU member states, argues that continuing to service the vessels would erode the impact of the EU's forthcoming 2027 sanctions on Russian LNG.
The appeal, coordinated by Danish Green MEP Villy Søvndal, former foreign minister of Denmark, was triggered by the arrival of the vessel Rudolf Samoylovich at Fayard on 30 June. The ship is the first of up to six Arc7 carriers that are expected to need maintenance before the EU's 20th sanctions package, slated to take effect in January 2027, imposes a full embargo on Russian LNG.
In the letter addressed to Fayard's CEO Thomas Andersen, the signatories ask the shipyard to refuse any further work on Arc7 tankers involved in Russian Arctic LNG exports and to publicly rule out accepting additional such vessels during 2026. "This is not only a commercial matter. It is a question of Europe's security, Denmark's credibility and solidarity with Ukraine," the letter states.
Researchers from NGOs Urgewald, B4Ukraine and Razom We Stand have identified Fayard as the last shipyard in the EU still willing to service the Arc7 fleet, after Dutch yard Damen Shiprepair Brest stopped accepting the vessels in 2024. According to Urgewald, each of the six Arc7 tankers slated for maintenance this year has moved an average of 5.3 million tonnes of Russian LNG since the invasion of Ukraine, representing cargoes worth roughly €4 billion per ship.
Sanctions campaigner Alexander Kirk warned that "every Arc7 tanker serviced in Denmark could help prolong Russian Arctic LNG exports for years and send millions more back to the Kremlin." He added that pre‑emptive repairs would allow the ships to remain operational well after the 2027 embargo takes effect, effectively weakening the EU's leverage.
In Denmark, the issue has become a flashpoint. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has previously suggested that Fayard's work indirectly supports Russia's war effort. The shipyard, for its part, maintains that it is complying with current EU rules and that its services are essential for maritime safety. "There remains substantial trade between the EU and Russia in goods that European countries continue to require," Fayard told an EU observer, adding that it does not specifically service Russian vessels but rather ships owned by international operators running between the Yamal terminal and European ports.
The company also announced that, in line with EU decisions, the assignments related to the Arc7 fleet will cease at the end of the year. Nevertheless, lawmakers argue that the mere act of preparing the ships now would give Russia a logistical advantage it would otherwise lose under the upcoming embargo.
The call for a pre‑emptive halt reflects a wider debate within the EU about how to close loopholes that could undermine sanctions. Swedish left‑wing MEP Jonas Sjöstedt warned that "every loophole left open and every service provided to these vessels make our sanctions weaker and give Russia more room to continue financing its war."
If Fayard complies, it would set a precedent for other European shipyards that still handle specialised Arctic vessels, reinforcing the bloc's collective stance on energy security and solidarity with Ukraine. Conversely, a refusal could expose tensions between commercial interests, national employment considerations and the EU's strategic objectives.
Union representatives have not been quoted in the letter, but the issue touches on broader concerns about the role of European industry in supporting or hindering the Kremlin's revenue streams. With the EU preparing a historic embargo on Russian LNG, the next few months will test whether member‑state firms are willing to align their commercial decisions with the bloc's geopolitical goals.