Sovcomflot, which is state-owned, controls a significant portion of the shadow fleet.
Russia has created a global network that allows it to obtain spare parts for engines from the Finnish company Wärtsilä, despite sanctions. According to the investigative journalism department of Yle MOT, between 2023 and 2025, parts worth about six million euros from Wärtsilä were delivered to Russia.
Shadow vessels involved in transporting Russian oil and thus financing the war in Ukraine also use products from the Finnish company.
One of the key intermediaries is Arnika Trade LLC, located on the outskirts of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. The company has sent spare parts for Wärtsilä engines worth over one million euros to Russia. Among the countries of dispatch are, in particular, China, the UAE, India, and even the Maldives.
The only client of Arnika is the Russian company Elite Shipping, which, in turn, collaborates with Prime Shipping, one of the largest Russian oil and petroleum product carriers.
The network created by Russia includes dozens of intermediary companies. Almost 60 Russian firms have purchased Wärtsilä spare parts since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. There are over a hundred sellers, most of them from China, the UAE, and Turkey.
Wärtsilä: We Do Not Want Our Products to End Up in Russia
Wärtsilä's Director of Corporate and Legal Affairs, Nora Steiner-Forsberg, told Yle that the company takes sanctions seriously.
"Unfortunately, there are market participants who circumvent sanctions. This is a common problem for all international companies," said Steiner-Forsberg.
Wärtsilä exited the Russian market shortly after the war in Ukraine began in 2022, and the company does not want its products to be sold in Russia.
The company's contracts include a clause prohibiting clients from further exporting products to the Russian Federation. Steiner-Forsberg does not want to comment on whether Wärtsilä has taken action against any clients for violating the terms.
"In our view, sanctions play an important role," noted Steiner-Forsberg.
Yle also requested comments from Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (KP), but she canceled the interview scheduled for Monday.
Russia Has Developed a Secret Plan
According to Yle, Wärtsilä engines are installed on at least 30 vessels from the EU sanctions list. The total number may be higher, as there are estimated to be up to two thousand such vessels.
Russia has long shown particular interest in Wärtsilä parts. An article in the Russian publication "Neftegaz" claims that the largest Russian shipowner, Sovcomflot, was developing plans to procure Wärtsilä products bypassing sanctions.
Sovcomflot, which is state-owned, controls a significant portion of the Russian shadow fleet. The company opened an office in Dubai to ensure the supply of Wärtsilä spare parts during the sanctions period.
An analysis of customs data in Russian conducted by Yle showed that some of the Wärtsilä spare parts sent to Russia were intended for specific ghost vessels. For instance, for the vessel RN Sakhalin, which transports fuel in the Far East, a Chinese company sent spare parts for a Wärtsilä diesel engine.
Parts for a Wärtsilä engine were sent from Turkey to the tanker Assia, owned by Prime Shipping. This tanker also transports Russian oil for export. A Wärtsilä repair kit was also sent to the vessel Vasily Dinkov, which carries oil in the Arctic.
Wärtsilä parts could be reaching all key players in the Russian maritime and shadow fleet, allowing them to continue sanctioned oil trading and increase Russia's military budget.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oqKcEXlkJSY?si=oBwSOT0L0tDOL36G" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
