Mitsui OSK assessing EU sanction impact on its LNG vessels
Japan's second-largest shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) said it is carefully assessing the impact on three of its liquefied natural gas vessels of new sanctions imposed by the European Union against Russia.
"We will continue to fully cooperate with the relevant authorities, including the European Union and the Japanese government, and remain committed to complying with all applicable laws, regulations, and international rules," said a company spokesperson on Wednesday.
"We will take appropriate measures as necessary, in accordance with our rights and obligations."
On Tuesday, the EU adopted four sets of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, including a 17th package targeting Moscow's shadow fleet. MOL's owned and managed North Moon, North Ocean and North Light LNG vessels were included in the package.
Built in 2024, the three vessels had delivered cargoes from Russia's Yamal LNG project to east Asia this year via a ship-to-ship transfer with the ice breaking vessel Nikolay Urvantsev, Kpler data showed.
North Ocean delivered a cargo from Yamal LNG to Taiwan on April 19, while North Moon and North Light had made prior shipments to Dalian port in northern China and Jieyang port in southern China on March 17 and April 1, respectively.
North Moon and North Light are both currently loaded with cargoes from Yamal LNG en route to Asia, according to Kpler data.
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Japan Times
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3 hours ago
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Japan Today
4 hours ago
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TOUGH CHOICES Each airline decides where to travel based on a patchwork of government notices, security advisers, and information-sharing between carriers and states, leading to divergent policies. The closure of Russian airspace to most Western carriers since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 put them at a cost disadvantage compared to airlines from places like China, India and the Middle East that continue to take shorter northern routes that need less fuel and fewer crew. Shifting risk calculations mean Singapore Airlines' flight SQ326 from Singapore to Amsterdam has used three different routes into Europe in just over a year, Flightradar24 tracking data shows. When reciprocal missile and drone attacks broke out between Iran and Israel in April 2024, it started crossing previously avoided Afghanistan instead of Iran. Last month, its route shifted again to avoid Pakistan's airspace as conflict escalated between India and Pakistan. Flight SQ326 now reaches Europe via the Persian Gulf and Iraq. Singapore Airlines did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Pilots and flight attendants are also worried about how the patchwork of shifting risk might impact their safety. "IATA says airlines should decide if it's safe to fly over conflict zones, not regulators. But history shows commercial pressures can cloud those decisions," said Paul Reuter, vice president of the European Cockpit Association, which represents pilots. Flight crew typically have the right to refuse a trip due to concerns about airspace, whether over weather or conflict zones, IATA security head Careen said. "Most airlines, in fact, I would say the vast majority of them, do not want crew on an aircraft if they don't feel comfortable flying," he said. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
