Berlin, July 20, 2026
New Urgewald analysis of shipping signals shows that a second Arc7 LNG tanker, the Georgiy Brusilov, has reached Danish waters and is waiting for the Rudolf Samoylovich to vacate the dry dock at Fayard Shipyard.
The development indicates that another specialised tanker serving Russia’s Yamal LNG project could enter the Danish shipyard immediately after maintenance on the Rudolf Samoylovich is completed.
The Georgiy Brusilov’s arrival intensifies the dispute between Fayard and a cross-party coalition of 105 parliamentarians from 17 European countries, including four Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament and representatives of six European Parliament political groups.
The parliamentarians have called on Fayard to accept no further maintenance work on the Arc7 vessels that sustain Russia’s Arctic LNG exports. They argue that servicing carried out this summer could keep the ships operational for years, including after new EU restrictions take effect on 1 January 2027.
Fayard has written directly to the members of the European Parliament and national parliaments who signed the open letter. In its response, the shipyard defended its servicing of the Arc7 tankers as legal and rejected suggestions that it was conducting business with Russia.
Danish MEP Villy Søvndal responded that the central question is not simply whether Fayard’s work is currently legal, but whether it is legitimate or strategically responsible.
The arrival of the Georgiy Brusilov in Danish waters now gives the dispute added urgency. It suggests that Fayard’s servicing of the Arc7 fleet could continue beyond the Rudolf Samoylovich, despite mounting political pressure on the shipyard to turn away further vessels.
Responding publicly to Fayard’s letter, Søvndal wrote on social media:
“Together with 100 other elected representatives from 17 countries, I am calling on Fayard Shipyard to stop servicing the tankers that carry Russian LNG.
“Fayard is currently the last shipyard in the EU maintaining the so-called Arc7 tankers, which transport liquefied natural gas from Russia’s Arctic fields. The yard effectively took over the entire business after the Dutch company Damen withdrew. That is an inconvenient but important fact, and it gives Fayard a very particular responsibility, one that I believe its management ought to acknowledge.
“Let me clarify two things first. In a comment on this page, I wrote that these vessels were part of Russia’s shadow fleet. That was incorrect, and Fayard is right to point this out. Fayard is also right that this work is currently legal. I have never disputed that.
“But legal and legitimate are not the same thing. The EU’s sanctions packages have consistently represented the lowest common denominator among 27 countries, not a measure of what is right or strategically sensible. The fact that something is not yet prohibited does not mean that it makes sense to do it.
“It is also worth examining what this servicing actually involves. As I understand it, these are not urgent repairs undertaken for immediate maritime safety reasons. This is scheduled, routine maintenance.
“There is a clear deadline. On 1 January 2027, two things will happen. Imports of Russian LNG under long-term contracts will be prohibited. At the same time, under the EU’s 20th sanctions package, adopted this April, providing maintenance services to vessels carrying Russian LNG will also be prohibited. This means that Fayard’s work on the Arc7 tankers is not merely contested; in six months, it will be illegal.
“That is why the timing matters. Since the Yamal LNG project began operating, the Arc7 vessels have undergone major overhauls roughly every three years, according to Urgewald’s review of their docking histories. A vessel entering dry dock in Munkebo this summer is therefore being prepared to continue sailing well into the period after Europe has closed the door. This is not simply the maintenance of an ongoing business. It is preparation for the continuation of a business that Europe has decided to end.
“Maintaining these ships will become much more difficult after the New Year. The vessels will have to travel all the way to China, if they can find a shipyard capable of doing the work at all. Fayard’s work this summer helps Russia get ahead of these difficulties for years to come. The benefit lies in Moscow.
“And the stakes are significant. According to an assessment by the environmental organisation Urgewald, each of these vessels has transported an average of approximately 5.3 million tonnes of Russian LNG since 2022, cargoes worth around €4 billion. This is not a marginal business. It is the backbone of Russia’s Arctic gas exports.
“This is not about the many skilled workers employed at the yard. It is about a decision by management. I sincerely believe that anyone who takes the time to consider the consequences will reach the same conclusion: this is not a business in which a Danish company should want to be involved, least of all six months before it becomes prohibited anyway.”
Alexander Kirk, Sanctions Campaigner at Urgewald, said:
“As Ukrainian cities are bombarded and civilians are killed, the fleet sustaining Russia’s Arctic LNG revenues is lining up for another European lifeline. With one Arc7 tanker in Fayard’s dry dock and a second waiting in Danish waters, this can no longer be dismissed as routine business. Every vessel Fayard services could keep Russian LNG exports moving for years. The shipyard must decide whether it will use its unique leverage to stand with Ukraine or prolong the fossil-fuel trade helping to finance Russia’s war.”
The arrival of the Georgiy Brusilov means that the question facing Fayard is no longer hypothetical. With one Arc7 tanker occupying its dry dock and another waiting in Danish waters, the shipyard must decide whether it will continue servicing the fleet despite growing political and public pressure to stop.
ENDS