Norway to help Russians stranded in Arctic after ship seizure, government says

Norway will provide necessary assistance to ​Russians in the Arctic Svalbard ​islands following the arrest of ‌a ship ​transporting passengers and supplies to the archipelago, the Nordic country's foreign ministry said on Friday. A Norwegian court ‌this week ordered the seizure in Svalbard of the Professor Molchanov cruise ship on behalf of a Ukrainian company involved in a legal dispute, stranding its passengers and ‌crew and leading Moscow to accuse Norway of "piracy".

"Norwegian authorities are doing ‌what we can to protect Russian citizens who have found themselves in a difficult situation in Svalbard now," Norway's foreign ministry said in a statement to Reuters, adding that it was ⁠complying with ​its international obligations. The town ⁠of Barentsburg, where the ship is being held, is one of two Russian settlements on ⁠Svalbard which have a combined 392 residents out of a population of 2,914, according ​to Statistics Norway.

Russian companies are regularly given sanctions relief to ensure the import ⁠of food and other necessary goods to the islands, the ministry said. The 71-metre (233-foot) Professor Molchanov can ⁠carry ​32 crew and 52 passengers and has a library, sauna, bar and two restaurants, according to the Cruisemapper website. It is used for scientific expeditions ⁠and commercial cruises.

The court-ordered seizure was made on behalf of Ukrainian energy company ⁠Naftogaz, which seeks ⁠to enforce a $4.22 billion compensation award for assets Moscow took when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Russia has said it plans ‌to appeal ‌the ruling.