The U.S. government has announced sanctions against two Indian shipping companies for their role in exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a Russian project that is under U.S. sanctions. The sanctions are aimed at disrupting Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 project, a major energy initiative in the Arctic region of Russia.
The U.S. Department of State revealed on Thursday that it has targeted two companies—Gotik Energy Shipping Co (Gotik) and Plio Energy Cargo Shipping OPC Pvt Ltd (Plio Energy)—for their involvement in the shipping of LNG from the Arctic LNG 2 project. This project, which is expected to produce approximately 19.8 million metric tonnes of LNG annually, has been subject to U.S. sanctions to limit Russia’s energy revenue.
According to the State Department’s statement, the companies were linked to the LNG carrier ship ‘New Energy,’ which employed deceptive shipping practices to bypass sanctions. On August 25, the vessel used these practices, including disabling its automatic identification system, to load cargo from the Arctic LNG 2 project through a ship-to-ship transfer with the LNG carrier ‘Pioneer.’ The ‘Pioneer’ had been blocked by the U.S. on August 23.
In addition to sanctioning Gotik and Plio Energy, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has updated its list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) to include these entities. This list comprises individuals and companies associated with sanctioned countries and activities. The OFAC announcement noted that Gotik’s registered office is in Thane, Maharashtra, with additional details on its Liberian address not specified.
The sanctions are part of broader efforts by the U.S. to restrict Russia’s energy capabilities and pressure the Russian government over its international actions.
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