According to the international shipping database Equasis, the Iris changed its ship management in April to a Russian-based company named ELEGEST OOO. This change is part of a growing pattern where sanctioned or shadow fleet ships change owners or managers to keep operating around the world.
It remains unclear whether the Iris will actually dock at Yamal and take on cargo. There’s also a possibility that it may instead continue sailing south to another Russian LNG facility, Arctic LNG 2, which was sanctioned by the US in 2023.
Arctic LNG 2 has not exported any shipments since October.
The earlier sanctions targeted the Arctic LNG 2 plant and several ships believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet, as the previous U.S. administration aimed to slow Moscow’s energy export growth.
Despite these efforts, many foreign energy buyers have so far been hesitant to deal with LNG from sanctioned sources, further limiting the global trade in blacklisted Russian fuel.
Novatek PJSC, the Russian company leading the Yamal LNG project, did not respond to requests for comment on the Iris’s journey or whether the vessel would be allowed to load at the terminal.
References: bloomberg, USM