Russia Expands Secret Gas Fleet Ahead of EU Import Ban

Russia is quietly building up its fleet of specialized gas tankers to keep liquefied natural gas exports flowing after the European Union's near-total import ban takes effect in 2027. At least eight secondhand LNG carriers have been purchased and redirected into Russian service over the past six months, bringing Moscow's dedicated gas fleet to 25 vessels.

The expansion mirrors Russia's tactics used to keep oil flowing through a 'dark fleet' of more than 1,000 tankers operating outside Western insurance and regulatory systems. The newly acquired carriers have already been tracked loading fuel at the Saam floating storage unit near Murmansk, a facility blacklisted by the United States for handling output from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project.

The EU confirmed in January that a full ban on Russian LNG imports will apply to long-term supply contracts from 1 January 2027. Companies that breach the rules face fines of at least 3.5 per cent of their global annual turnover, highlighting Europe's vulnerability to Russian gas supplies ahead of the deadline.