Norway Seizes Russian Research Vessel as Ukraine Pursues Crimea Claims

The Governor of Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, confirmed that under court authority, they have today, September 2, taken control of the Russian research vessel turned cruise ship, Professor Molchanov. The vessel is being held on behalf of the Ukrainian state-owned energy company Naftogaz, which has been pursuing claims against Russia for compensation for assets lost during the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Naftogaz received an award in April 2023 from a tribunal in the Hague, which was valued at approximately $4.22 billion, plus interest and costs. It had started the action in 2016 for the value of the company’s assets in Crimea. Since then, Naftogaz has been doggedly chasing the Russian Federation and attempting to enforce its claim in jurisdictions ranging from the United States to the UK, France, and Finland. A Dutch court confirmed the enforceability of the award in late 2024. Naftogaz had also taken its claim into the Norwegian courts.

The Nord-Troms District Court in Norway issued its ruling on August 31, granting Naftogaz’s claim to seize the Professor Molchanov. The governor was instructed to act as bailiff and, as of September 2, seized the ship, which was in the Svalbard region as part of its normal operations.

The Professor Molchanov was instructed to dock in Barentsburg, a coal town operated by a Russian company, which is also the second-largest settlement in Svalbard. The governor said they would be taking care of the passengers and crew aboard the vessel in collaboration with Trust Arcticgul, the Russian state-owned company that operates the mine.

Built in Finland in 1982 as a specialized hydrographic and oceanographic research vessel for Russia, the Professor Molchanov is 1,753 gross tons and sails under the Russian flag. The ship is approximately 72 meters (236 feet) in length and has an ice-class hull. The Russians converted the ship in the 1990s for passenger operations. It has accommodations for 54 passengers, and since June 2025 it has been operating expeditions from Murmansk to the Svalbard region. It resumed the trips in March of this year.

The seizure follows another success Ukraine achieved in the Swedish courts. At the beginning of August, Sweden's Supreme Court finalized a ruling permitting a small cargo ship that has been detained for months to be awarded to Ukraine. Swedish authorities stopped the Caffa at the beginning of March 2026, citing environmental concerns and the belief the ship could be sailing under a false flag. Ukraine pursued a claim asking for Sweden’s assistance, asserting that the ship had transported stolen grain from Crimea. Swedish prosecutors presented the claim to the courts for a decision.