Fesco-Moneron

The USA have removed sanctions on the Russian-flagged 'Fesco Moneron', 'Fesco Magadan' and 'Sv Nikolay', the Treasury Department said on March 31, 2026, in a move officials described as routine and not indicative of a broader change in Russia policy. The ships were taken off the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list following what officials said was a standard review process. The OFAC regularly updates its sanctions lists, and the removals were conducted “in the ordinary course of business” after a “thorough review.” The delisting allowed the vessels to access ports, insurance, and maritime services previously restricted under U.S. sanctions, though Washington emphasized that its overall sanctions regime against Russia remains in force. The vessels had originally been sanctioned in 2022 as part of sweeping measures targeting Russia’s financial and logistics networks following its invasion of Ukraine. The container ships 'Fesco Moneron' and 'Fesco Magadan' were linked to Russia’s Far East shipping group FESCO and were designated due to ties to Promsvyazbank, a state-owned lender targeted by U.S. sanctions. The cargo m/v 'Sv Nikolay' was sanctioned separately in connection with measures against the Alfa-Bank, one of Russia’s largest private lenders. Ukrainian officials have also alleged the vessel was involved in transporting grain taken from Russian-occupied territories. Such decisions can follow petitions from sanctioned parties, internal reviews, or shifting national security considerations. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish but to change behaviour and to promote accountability. Separately, the move came amid broader technical adjustments to sanctions enforcement, including temporary authorisations allowing certain Russian oil cargoes loaded before mid-March to be delivered and unloaded, easing pressure on global energy markets.

In the morning of Nov 14, 2018, a crew member of the "Francop" died in an accident during cargo operations. The ship was berthed at the Marine Terminal in Dublin at that time, having arrived from Rotterdam on Nov 12. The accident occurred during shifting of containers on board the vessel. The crew member fell during the shift and was crushed.

After 1 year lay up time at Bremerhaven Fischereihafen Francop is under way to Le Havre

4 months charter extension, Unifeeder