In Murmansk Port works a fleet of Norwegian reefer vessels
Fish trade with Russia is not illegal, says leader of the Norwegian company that continues to send its refrigerated cargo ships to the north Russian seaport.
"Fish can be traded with the Russians, it has been decided by Norwegian and European authorities," says Tormod Fossmark, CEO of SilverSea.
The Norwegian shipowner company made headlines across Europe when its vessel Silver Dania in late January 2025 was detained in Tromsø, Northern Norway, on suspicion of sabotage.
The detention followed a request from Latvian authorities, which suspected that the ship had been involved in damaging a subsea cable in the Baltic Sea.
Fossmark underlines to the Barents Observer that the Silver Dania in no way was involved in wrongdoing and that a Swedish investigation has been closed.
The Norwegian company is cooperating closely with Russian partners and its reefer fleet is a regular visitors to Murmansk, as well as Russian ports in the Baltic Sea.
Following its release from Tromsø, the Silver Dania sailed straight to Murmansk, where it spent more than a week. A few days later, two of its sister vessels, the Silver Breeze and the Silver Copenhagen, also arrived in the north Russian port.
The two ships both spent more than a week in Murmansk before they on 16 February set out at sea. Both of them today have the Dutch port of Velsen as their destination.
A fourth reefer, the Silver Gale, arrived on 13 February and is still moored in Murmansk.
According Tormod Fossmark, all the company's reefers that sail to Murmansk are engaged in fish trade. They load fish in Murmansk and deliver it to European ports, and first of all the Netherlands.
"Norway and EU have decided that this kind of trade is not sanctioned," Fossmark underlines to the Barents Observer.
"We don't do self-sanctioning," he adds.
At the same time, he underlines that his company carefully follows recommendations and advice from Norwegian and European authorities.
The Silver Dania sails with a Russian crew. Company owner Fossmark does not comment on whether also the other ships have Russian crews and whether crew changes take place in Murmansk.
Fossmark also says that he sees no problems with landing Russian fish in Dutch ports and underlines that it is all within the law.
Albeit not illegal, the fish trade with the Russians is disputed.
Trade with the country that continues its aggressive onslaught on Ukraine is by many seen as war profiteering. Moreover, the powerful fish industry companies in Murmansk are closely cooperating with the state, and several fishing vessels are suspected of involvement in espionage and sabotage.
In May 2024, the Russian reefer Belomorye was banned from making port call in the Dutch ports of Groningen Eemshaven and Velsen. The ban followed the ship's suspected involvement in espionage.
The ship cargo was subsequently transferred to the Silver Copenhagen. Welcome in the Netherlands thanks to the Norwegian flag, the Silver Copenhagen set sail for Velsen with a cargo space full of frozen Russian fish.
The Belomorye is owned by Russia fishery tycoon Vitaly Orlov and his company Norebo. In late 2024, the ship spent more than a month in a Norwegian fjord following technical problems with steering system.
Silver Sea has operations across major parts of northern Europe. However, a map of key sites of operations available on the company's website does not include Murmansk.
Nevertheless, the fish trade with the Norwegians is a key reason why the Murmansk Fishery Port is experiencing a significant growth in operations. According to the company, the port in 2024 handled 278,200 tons of fish transshipments. It was the biggest annual volume since 2010.
