Pugnax

In a surprise move the EU has delisted the 'Audax' and 'Pugnax', two polar class heavy lift vessels, The vessels were purpose-built for the construction of Russia’s Yamal LNG project in 2016. They also carried the majority of prefabricated modules for the country’s other flagship LNG project, Arctic LNG 2. The two ships, owned by also sanctioned Red Box Energy Services Pte. Ltd., could travel the Arctic Northern Sea Route even during the winter months. They continued working for Russia even in the face of Western sanctions. Both vessels completed shipments of modules just prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022, and subsequently continued transporting modules to the Belolamenka Shipyard near Murmansk with the final delivery coming in January 2024. Red Box’s CEO at the time asserted his firm was only delivering steel structures, and that it had no contractual relations with Russia or Novatek. However, U.S. and EU officials were unconvinced, and both the companyand its vessels were sanctioned in May and June 2024. Red Box’s CEO Philip Adkins subsequently left the company in June 2024, after his Singaporean residence permit didn’t get extended. Since being sanctioned the vesseks have been largely idle with the former in coastal waters of the Yellow Sea and the latter docked in Singapore. In July 2025 the EU had lifted measures on the three MOL-controlled LNG carriers 'North Moon', 'North Ocean' and 'North Light', after receiving assurance that they would not be employed to transport Russian LNG. It was unclear if Red Box now offered similar guarantees. An unrecorded sale to a new owner could also explain the lifting of sanctions. With their PC3 ice-class the vessels are ideally suited for operation in polar waters, including in Antarctica. Currently, the 'Audax' and 'Pugnax' remained sanctioned by the U.S., Canada, and Switzerland.