Norway court sets 19 and 21 October hearings in case of Russian vessel “Professor Molchanov”
In short
Norway's Nord-Troms and Senja District Court will hold hearings on 19 and 21 October in the case of the Russian research vessel “Professor Molchanov”, which is under arrest at Svalbard. Vedomosti, citing the Svalbard governor's website, reported that the court's 31 August decision granted Ukraine's Naftogaz the right to confiscate the vessel, moored at Barentsburg. Russia's Foreign Ministry protested on 3 September, and spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the incident piracy and lawlessness by the West.
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Norway's Nord-Troms and Senja District Court will hold hearings on 19 and 21 October in the case of the Russian research vessel “Professor Molchanov”, according to Norwegian court records cited by Vedomosti. RIA Novosti reported the same two dates, while TASS reported earlier that the Norwegian court was agreeing a hearing date. The vessel is under arrest at Svalbard. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Norway announced the arrest on 2 September, Vedomosti reported. Citing the Svalbard governor's website, the newspaper said the district court's decision of 31 August granted Ukraine's Naftogaz the right to confiscate the vessel, which is moored at Barentsburg, and ordered it to anchor at the place indicated by the governor. [ 3 ]
Russia's Foreign Ministry reacted on 3 September. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the incident another manifestation of piracy and lawlessness by the West and said such actions would be followed by a response, according to Vedomosti. The same day, the ministry said it handed a note of protest to Norway's ambassador to Moscow, Heidi Olufsen. The ministry said the vessel belongs to the Northern Directorate for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of Roshydromet and had been carrying employees of the Arktikugol trust and scientists. [ 3 ]
The documents contain no comment from Norwegian or Ukrainian authorities, and they do not say what the October hearings will address. Vedomosti's account of the ruling and the Russian protest is the only detailed reporting in the set; TASS and RIA Novosti reported only that the hearings had been scheduled. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The case puts a Russia-Norway dispute over Svalbard back on the agenda, with a Ukrainian company's claim at its centre and Russia's Foreign Ministry already filing a protest. The October hearings are the next scheduled step, and the documents give no indication of how Norway will respond.
Key facts
- A Norwegian court will hold hearings on 19 and 21 October in the case of the Russian vessel “Professor Molchanov”. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The vessel is under arrest at Svalbard; Norway announced the arrest on 2 September, according to Vedomosti. [ 3 ]
- Vedomosti, citing the Svalbard governor's website, reported that the Nord-Troms District Court's 31 August decision granted Ukraine's Naftogaz the right to confiscate the vessel, which is moored at Barentsburg. [ 3 ]
- The court ordered the vessel to anchor at the place indicated by the governor of Svalbard. [ 3 ]
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the incident another manifestation of piracy and lawlessness by the West and said there would be a response. [ 3 ]
- On 3 September Russia's Foreign Ministry handed a note of protest to Norway's ambassador to Moscow, Heidi Olufsen. [ 3 ]
- The ministry said the vessel belongs to the Northern Directorate for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring of Roshydromet and had been carrying employees of the Arktikugol trust and scientists. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The legal basis and terms of the Norwegian ruling, including the reported right of Ukraine's Naftogaz to confiscate the vessel. This account comes from a single outlet, Vedomosti, citing Norwegian court records and the Svalbard governor's website; no other document in the set describes the ruling.
- How Norway has responded to the Russian note of protest, or whether it disputes Russia's account of the case. The documents contain no comment from Norwegian authorities.
- What exactly the 19 and 21 October hearings will address — the confiscation decision or another matter in the case. Not stated in any of the documents.
- Russia's Foreign Ministry said it handed a note of protest to Norway's ambassador to Moscow, Heidi Olufsen, over the vessel's seizure, in a statement issued by the ministry. Reported by a single source so far
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, according to the ministry, that the incident was a manifestation of piracy and lawlessness by the West and that such actions would draw a response. Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that a Norwegian court is agreeing a hearing date in the case of the vessel “Professor Molchanov”. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reports that hearings in the case will be held on 19 and 21 October. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti reports, citing Norwegian court records, that the Nord-Troms and Senja District Court will hold hearings on 19 and 21 October. [ 3 ]