A coalition of civil society organizations protested against Danish shipyard Fayard’s continued servicing of vessels transporting Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), at a rally held in Copenhagen on Oct. 1.
Fayard is the last known EU shipyard that is still maintaining a fleet of specialized Arc7 tankers that export LNG from Russia’s Arctic north.
“Fayard’s service of the LNG fleet is a blemish on Danish support for Ukraine. We will continue to pressure Fayard to stop,” Jens Alstrup, the chairman of the NGO Freedom for Ukraine, said in a statement shared with the Kyiv Independent.
Fayard has faced scrutiny from NGOs, European lawmakers, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for servicing Russian-linked tankers. Critics say that aiding Russian energy trade contradicts Denmark’s support for Ukraine.
The shipyard has serviced four Russian-linked LNG tankers since late June, with the fourth, Nikolay Yevgenov, undergoing service at the yard on Sept. 24, according to the sanctions-monitoring NGO Urgewald.
An EU-wide ban on Russian LNG imports will take effect from Jan. 1, 2027, and countries are already weaning themselves off Moscow.
However, sanctions pressure began to slacken when the bloc decided to grant an exemption to Greek shipping company Dynagas, which will allow it to keep transporting Russian LNG to third countries even after 2027.
Likewise, the EU has repeatedly failed to agree on a maritime services ban, which would make it illegal for Fayard to provide maintenance services to Russian vessels. The bloc has instead said such a move should be done with the agreement of the G7.
“Enough is enough. Denmark faces a growing security threat from Russia, yet Fayard continues to repair tankers that keep Russian Arctic LNG moving while also servicing Danish naval vessels,” said Alexander Kirk, a protest organizer and a sanctions campaigner at Urgewald.
“That is a glaring security contradiction. Fayard should stop servicing the Arc7 fleet now.”