EU lifts sanctions on Japanese tankers Mitsui after they promise not to carry Russian gas

Three vessels removed from sanctions list after assurances they will no longer work on Yamal and Arctic 2 projects.

The European Union has removed three gas carriers owned by the Japanese company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines from its sanctions list, which previously transported LNG from Russian Arctic projects. Reuters reports.

The decision comes after the company gave formal commitments to stop operating on routes related to Russian gas.

The EU imposed sanctions on the North Moon, North Ocean and North Light tankers in May 2025. They were used to transport LNG from a plant in Yamal and were involved in ship-to-ship operations near the Russian port of Murmansk.

The European Commission stressed in its statement that these vessels “will no longer participate in the transportation of Russian energy carriers from the Yamal and Arctic 2 projects, for which they were originally intended.”

All three vessels were built last year at the South Korean shipyard Hanwha Ocean.

Meanwhile, the UK has imposed new sanctions against 135 tankers of the Russian “shadow fleet.”