Norway confiscates Russian research vessel “Professor Moltschanov” off Spitsbergen

The “Professor Moltschanov”, named after the Soviet meteorologist, was built in Finland in 1983 for the Soviet Union. It has been used for expedition cruises in the far north for years. Up to 48 passengers can travel, the home port is Murmansk, Russia.

Russia maintains settlement in the area

Naftogaz boss Serhiy Fedorenko called the Norwegian measure "another important step towards restoring justice" in connection with the seizures in Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Kyiv will “continue to take action against Russian assets worldwide until the compensation awarded to Naftogaz and other companies in the Naftogaz group has been paid in full.”

Resource-rich Svalbard is twice the size of Belgium and lies halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Russia maintains the Barentsburg mining settlement on the archipelago. According to the tracking website “Vesselfinder,” the “Professor Moltschanow” was anchored off Barentsburg.

Editor's note: An earlier version of the text contained an incorrect currency conversion. We have corrected the error.