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A notorious Russian ship under sanctions for transporting arms from North Korea is set to enter the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, the first time that a vessel involved in arms-running for Pyongyang would have entered European waters.
The Maia-1, a Russian-flagged and crewed ship that has been placed under sanctions directly by the US and EU, is currently anchored outside the south entrance to the key waterway that links Asia and Europe, according to Open Source Centre, a research group that identified the vessel. The vessel’s stated destination is a port on the Baltic coast of Russia where Moscow is building a liquefied natural gas facility.
The ship is one of more than 20 vessels owned by MG-Flot, a company that has also been put under sanctions by the UK, EU and US among others. The EU, in its sanctions listing, said the carrier was part of “a military transportation network of Russian cargo vessels”. It made at least nine trips to North Korea in the five months to February 2024, according to the OSC.
“The Maia-1 is a vessel which has been named by the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea, and sanctioned by several governments for its involvement in shipping North Korean munitions to Russia,” said Joe Byrne, a senior OSC analyst.
The arrival of this ship in European territory — and its later possible transit through the waters of Nato members including Denmark — would pose a fresh challenge to the continent just as its leaders consider how far they are willing to go to keep supporting Ukraine and disrupt the Russian economy.
The voyage presents “a challenge on the western sanctions system, testing their resolve to take action”, Byrne added.
The Maia-1 began its journey in Vladivostok in Russia’s far-east last month before picking up cargo at a port near Shanghai. Since leaving China it has largely sailed with its AIS transponder turned on.
The OSC said large items appeared to have been loaded on to the ship when it was at the Zhangjiagang Equipment Port between January 11 and 16. The facility has been linked to efforts to evade sanctions on the supply of equipment to Russia’s liquefied natural gas projects.
Satellite imagery gathered by the OSC showed the vessel being loaded with objects that were then covered in tarpaulins for the journey.
The Maia-1 filed documents during a stop in Vietnam giving its final destination as Ust-Luga, a Baltic Sea port where the LNG terminal is being built despite the effect of sanctions.
Russia’s access to turbines and other gas liquefaction equipment has been badly hit by US sanctions imposed by the White House under previous president Joe Biden. The US Treasury has also hit heavy-lift cargo ships caught supplying these schemes.
The Ust-Luga LNG project has been delayed by the withdrawal of key western partners in the wake of Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and US sanctions introduced in recent years.
Russia has another LNG development further north called Arctic LNG 2, which has previously received large components fabricated in China.
The Suez Canal grants freedom of navigation to all vessels under the Constantinople Convention treaty of 1888, though vessels can be stopped from transiting if they lack suitable insurance — a significant hurdle for vessels under sanctions. The Maia-1 is not listed as covered by any members of the International Group of insurers.
Cartography by Steven Bernard