Norwegian Coast Guard boards sanctioned Chinese heavy-lift ship Ya Qing Hai Yang off northern Norway

Norway's Coast Guard has boarded one of two Chinese heavy-lift ships sheltering off the Vesterålen Islands and was preparing to board the second, High North News reported on 14 October, citing Brynjar Stordal of the Armed Forces' Joint Headquarters. The ships are Ya Qing Hai Yang, which the US sanctioned in January 2025 and which delivered power modules to the Arctic LNG 2 terminal in 2024, and Jian Yang Cheng He. Joint Headquarters said 12 vessels had sought shelter from a storm off Lofoten, without identifying the ships' cargo. The Coast Guard called it an ongoing operation. High North News said there was no public confirmation that either ship was carrying equipment for a Russian project.

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