Mitsui OSK Seeks Japan’s Help as EU Sanctions LNG Tankers
(Bloomberg) -- Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. is seeking help from the Japanese government after a surprise decision by the European Union to sanction three of its liquefied natural gas tankers linked to a Russian project.
“We are not at all happy about this, so we are now lobbying the EU through various channels, including the Japanese government,” Chief Executive Officer Takeshi Hashimoto said in an interview on Tuesday.
The North Moon, North Ocean and North Light — managed by Mitsui OSK — were included in the 17th package of sanctions adopted by the European Council last week. The measures were part of the EU’s mounting efforts to push Moscow into a peace deal with Ukraine, addressing workarounds to previously imposed restrictions.
The three vessels recently helped move shipments from Yamal LNG, which is not under sanctions. They loaded cargoes transshipped near the port of Murmansk, where they arrive on ice-class ships directly from the plant, according to shipping data compiled by Bloomberg.
Some of the vessels are already loaded and Mitsui OSK will unload them as soon as possible, Hashimoto said.
“I think those vessels will be unusable for some time to come,” he said. “But, to be honest, they have been saying for a long time that the Yamal project is not subject to sanctions, and suddenly these ships are subject to sanctions.”
The company, which also ships a range of goods including cars across the globe, saw a considerable rush for stockpiling from January to March ahead of tariffs by US President Donald Trump and, after dropping in April, demand has been very strong since May following an easing in the trade war.
“We expect it to continue to be strong during May and June,” Hashimoto said.
He said he expects vehicle exports from Japan to North America to gradually decline and companies to shift to local production in the US in the medium- to long-term. “We need to shift our mindset away from ‘Japan-centric’ commercial distribution,” Hashimoto added.
(Updates with quote in last paragraph.)
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