Norwegian Coast Guard Boards Sanctioned Chinese Heavy-Lift Ships Off the Coast of Northern Norway

The Ya Qing Hai Yang (IMO 1021570) and Jian Yang Cheng He (IMO 9813137) have been tracked near Andøya, in Vesterålen, with at least four Norwegian vessels operating nearby, according to AIS data reviewed by High North News.

The Norwegian Coast Guard confirmed that it was conducting an operation involving the two ships but declined to provide further details.

“This is an ongoing operation that we don’t wish to comment on at this moment,” the Coast Guard’s media office told High North News by phone on Wednesday, referring the news outlet to the Norwegian Armed Forces’ Joint Headquarters (FOH).

FOH provided a partial explanation, saying that 12 vessels had taken shelter from a storm off Lofoten. Two of them were the sanctioned Chinese ships, which FOH said carried a type of cargo that made seeking shelter sensible.

Coast Guard personnel had conducted a so-called visitation aboard one vessel and were preparing to board the second, FOH press officer Brynjar Stordal said.

The statement did not identify the cargo, explain the ships’ intended destinations or clarify whether the operation had uncovered any concerns beyond the circumstances surrounding their sheltering.

AIS data showed the Norwegian vessels KV Måløy, KV Heimdal, KV Sortland and the military vessel Sjøbjørn operating in the vicinity.

From southern China via the Northern Sea Route

Both heavy-lift carriers departed southern China in July and traveled north through the Northern Sea Route before spending time near Murmansk and closer to the Norwegian-Russian border.

The Ya Qing Hai Yang, formerly known as Ocean 28, was reported last week to have spent several days drifting near the Aynov Islands, less than 30 kilometers from Russia’s maritime border with Norway. The vessel’s subsequent movements have brought it farther west along the Norwegian coast. Local outlet Vol.no also reported on the vessels in Andfjorden.  

The ship has a significant history in Russia’s sanctioned energy sector. In October 2024, it delivered large power-generation modules from China to Utrenniy, the terminal serving the Arctic LNG 2 project. The vessel was subsequently designated under U.S. sanctions in January 2025 and is also subject to European Union and other sanctions.

The ship has repeatedly operated along the Northern Sea Route, including voyages to Utrenniy and the Belokamenka LNG Construction Centre outside Murmansk, a major facility involved in Russia’s Arctic energy ambitions.

The Jian Yang Cheng He has also traveled through the Northern Sea Route on the current voyage, although its role in any potential Russian delivery has not been established.

Questions remain over the ships’ mission

The presence of the vessels raises questions about why they traveled down the Norwegian coast and entered Norwegian territorial waters, and whether their movements are connected to Russian Arctic industrial projects.

Their earlier presence near Belokamenka is particularly notable given the facility’s role in Russia’s LNG industry and the history of Chinese heavy-lift ships transporting equipment for Arctic LNG 2. However, there is no public confirmation that either vessel is currently carrying equipment destined for a Russian project.

Satellite images provided to High North News last week by SynMax Intelligence show the vessels en route earlier this summer.

Norway has faced difficult questions over how to enforce sanctions and monitor maritime activity linked to Russia while balancing navigational rights and other international obligations. The Coast Guard’s boarding of the two ships provides an indication that their presence is receiving official attention, but authorities have yet to explain the scope or purpose of the operation.

The storm sheltering explanation may account for the vessels’ immediate presence off Vesterålen. It does not, however, resolve the wider questions surrounding their journey, cargo and intended destination.

For Norway, the episode brings together several increasingly prominent Arctic issues: Chinese shipping activity, Russia’s efforts to sustain its sanctioned energy sector, and the practical challenges of monitoring vessels that have previously been involved in sensitive deliveries.

Whether the two ships’ movements are routine commercial activity, part of a Russian-bound logistics operation or something else remains unclear. Norwegian authorities have not publicly provided further details.