European shipyards continue to play a key role in keeping Russia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier fleet operational. As the summer maintenance season approaches, the first Arc7 ice-class LNG carriers to serve the Yamal LNG project have arrived at the Danish shipyard Fayard A/S.
The Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier “Nikolay Urvantsev” serving the Yamal LNG project arrived at the Fayard A/S shipyard on June 26 for maintenance and is scheduled to be completed and set sail in about a week.
The vessel is operated by Japanese shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and chartered by Russian energy company Novatek. It undergoes regular maintenance at Fayard A/S shipyard and French Damen Shiprepair. Records show that the vessel underwent multiple dry dock repairs in 2022, 2024, and 2025.
The second Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier operated by Dynagas, the Fedor Litke, also headed to the Fayard A/S shipyard on July 17 after completing a transport mission in Dunkirk. As of July 23, the vessel was still undergoing repairs in the dry dock. The vessel had previously undergone repairs at the Fayard A/S shipyard in September 2022.
Since 2017, shipyards in Denmark and France have provided services for all 15 LNG carriers for the Yamal LNG project. Damen Shiprepair and Fayard A/S shipyard are located at the center of major trade routes to Europe, which is crucial for the efficient operation of this fleet of Arc7 ice-class LNG carriers designed specifically for polar environments.
Due to the harsh operating environment of Arctic LNG carriers in Russia’s Northern Sea Route, their maintenance and repair cycles have been significantly shortened. Damen Shiprepair focus on hull maintenance, which is crucial for LNG carriers that navigate through ice year-round.
Although Damen Shiprepair does not currently have any Arc7 ice-class LNG carrier repair projects, the Yamal fleet often enters the shipyard for repairs in the fall, and it is expected that more vessels will follow. Between 2022 and 2024, the shipyard has provided services for at least eight Yamal LNG carriers.
Damen Shiprepair previously stated that it could not discuss specific customer business, but stressed that it always complies with all international sanctions against Russia. Since these vessels are not subject to direct sanctions from the United States or the European Union, the shipyard’s repairs do not violate international law. However, industry sources revealed that the procurement of key spare parts is becoming increasingly difficult. For example, suppliers of gas chromatographs and flow meters for LNG carriers have imposed restrictions on end users and no longer deliver parts to vessels in the Yamal fleet.
One industry insider confirmed, “This is all related to sanctions. Key components are being cut off, and suppliers are refusing to provide components to vessels for fear of sanctions.”
Some sanctioned LNG carriers, including one Arc7-class and several Arc4-class ice-class vessels, have recently been diverted to Chinese shipyards for repairs. The Arc7-class LNG carrier “Christophe de Margerie” was docked at the Zhoushan Shipyard east of Shanghai for several months during the summer of 2024. Currently, two other sanctioned Russian LNG carriers, the “Sputnik Energy” and the “Nova Energy,” are still undergoing repairs at Chinese shipyards.