Norway seizes Russian ship over Naftogaz award

Norwegian authorities have seized a Russian vessel at the request of Ukrainian state firm Naftogaz, to ensure that the Russian Federation meets its

outstanding obligations, Naftogaz said on Wednesday.



Naftogaz has been pursuing legal action against Russia since 2016 to seek compensation for Moscow's expropriation of Naftogaz property when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.



A tribunal in The Hague in April 2023 ordered Russia to pay Naftogaz $4.22 billion plus interest and legal costs to compensate for assets it seized in Crimea, but Moscow has not done so.



Naftogaz said the seizure was ordered by the Nord-Troms and Senja District Court on August 31. It said the vessel, the Professor Molchanov, was owned by Russia and used for commercial expedition cruises, including to the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard.