The United States has sanctioned nearly 400 entities and individuals globally, citing their role in supporting Russia's military efforts, according to the US Department of State. Among them are four Singapore-based shipping companies allegedly linked to Novatek, Russia’s largest LNG producer, for procuring vessels to aid its Arctic LNG 2 project.
The Department of State revealed that these companies helped Russia’s LNG operations circumvent sanctions by securing secondhand tankers through intermediaries. The companies, LNG Alpha Shipping, LNG Beta Shipping, LNG Delta Shipping, and LNG Gamma Shipping, are majority-owned by New Transhipment FZE, a Novatek subsidiary based in the UAE, and are registered to the same address in Singapore.
Each company owns a tanker – North Air, North Mountain, North Way, and North Sky – vessels reportedly associated with Russia's so-called "dark fleet," a network of ships allegedly engaged in operations under concealed ownership or routes.
