Norway will provide necessary assistance to Russians in the Arctic Svalbard islands following the arrest of a ship transporting passengers and supplies to the archipelago, the Nordic country’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
– A Norwegian court this week ordered the seizure in Svalbard of the Professor Molchanov cruise ship on behalf of a Ukrainian company involved in a legal dispute, stranding its passengers and crew and leading Moscow to accuse Norway of “piracy”.
– “Norwegian authorities are doing what we can to protect Russian citizens who have found themselves in a difficult situation in Svalbard now,” Norway’s foreign ministry said in a statement to Reuters, adding that it was complying with its international obligations.
– The town of Barentsburg, where the ship is being held, is one of two Russian settlements on Svalbard which have a combined 392 residents out of a population of 2,914, according to Statistics Norway.
– Russian companies are regularly given sanctions relief to ensure the import of food and other necessary goods to the islands, the ministry said.
– The 71-metre (233-foot) Professor Molchanov can carry 32 crew and 52 passengers and has a library, sauna, bar and two restaurants, according to the Cruisemapper website. It is used for scientific expeditions and commercial cruises.
– The court-ordered seizure was made on behalf of Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz, which seeks to enforce a $4.22 billion compensation award for assets Moscow took when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
– Russia has said it plans to appeal the ruling.