After a month in Norwegian fjord, infamous Russian reefer Belomorye is towed to sea
The almost 50 year old reefer was early the 31 December towed out of the Frei Fjord and into stormy waters in the Norwegian Sea. It has been a long month of waiting for the crew that has been lying idle off the west Norwegian coast since late November.
On the 25 November, the ship reported technical problems with its steering systems and was subsequently assisted by the Norwegian Coastal Administration.
It was towed to the nearby Frei Fjord where it was expected to stay only few days.
The Belomorye is owned and operated by Norebo, the powerful Russian fishery company, and has for years shuttled along the Norwegian coast. The ship is extensively used for transshipment of Russian fish.
In 2023, it was rejected entry to Dutch ports following suspicions of espionage, a journalistic investigation reported.
The technical problems of the Belomorye attracted attention as the ship was located near Nyhamna, the strategically important natural gas hub. From Nyhamna runs Langeled, the 1,166 km long pipeline that every year brings billions of cubic meters of Norwegian natural gas to the UK. It is one of the world’s longest underwater pipelines and an infrastructure object of key strategic importance for international energy security.
The incident with the Belomorye coincided with the peculiar sailing of heavy lift ship Ocean 28 in the same area.
For more than 24 hours, the 154 meter long deck cargo ship criss-crossed in the area before it late 26 November again set course towards the south. According to information from MarineTraffic, it has Singapore as its destination.
The Belomorye is now towed by Russian support vessel Vengery. Both are believed to sail to Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave in the Baltic Sea.
The Vengery has not speeded towards the Belomorye. The tugboat sailed into Norwegian waters in the North Sea on the 21 December and arrived in the Frei Fjord on the 24th. It stayed for a week in the area before it started the towing operation.
It is not the first time that the Vengery sails along the Norwegian coast. In summer of 2023, it took part of the major towing operation of 400 meter long floating storage unit Saam to the Ura Bay in the Kola Peninsula.
The Barents Observer has requested a comment from Norebo on the state of the Belomorye, but not gotten any response from the company.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canada, U.S. and Finland form pact to build icebreakers for Arctic, CBC News
Norway: LNG-reloading operations end in Norway’s Arctic waters, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Suspicious sailing by Russian ships near Norwegian gas hub, The Independent Barents Observer
United States: Growth in Arctic shipping warrants Polar Code adjustments, say experts, Eye on the Arctic
