Russia has created a global network that allows the country to obtain spare parts for engines from the Finnish company Wärtsilä, despite Western sanctions.
Points of attention
- Despite Western sanctions, the Finnish company Wärtsilä supplies spare parts for ships in Russia's shadow fleet, aiding in the transportation of Russian oil and petroleum products.
- Russia has established a global network involving intermediary companies to circumvent international restrictions and procure spare parts from Wärtsilä, with shipments worth about 6 million euros from 2023-2025.
- One of the key intermediaries, Arnika Trade LLC, facilitates the transfer of Wärtsilä engine parts to Russia, with destinations including China, the UAE, India, and the Maldives, supporting companies like Elite Shipping and Prime Shipping.
Finnish company supplies spare parts for ships of the Russian shadow fleet
According to the Yle MOT investigative journalism department, in 2023-2025, parts from Wärtsilä worth about 6 million euros were shipped to Russia.
The shadow fleet vessels, which are involved in transporting Russian oil and thus financing the war in Ukraine, also use this Finnish company's products.
One of the key intermediaries is Arnika Trade LLC, located on the outskirts of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
The company has shipped over 1 million euros worth of Wärtsilä engine parts to Russia. The countries of destination include China, the UAE, India, and even the Maldives.
Arnika's only client is the Russian company Elite Shipping, which, in turn, cooperates, for example, with Prime Shipping, one of the largest Russian carriers of oil and petroleum products.
The network created by Russia includes dozens of intermediary companies. Almost 60 Russian companies have purchased Wärtsilä spare parts since the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine. There are more than a hundred sellers, most of them from China, the UAE and Turkey.
Wärtsilä's Corporate and Legal Director Nora Steiner-Forsberg told Yle that the company takes the sanctions seriously.
"Unfortunately, there are market participants who circumvent sanctions. This is a common problem for all international companies," Steiner-Forsberg said.
Wärtsilä withdrew from the Russian market shortly after the start of the Russian war in Ukraine in 2022, and the company does not want its products to be sold to Russia.
The company's contracts include a clause that prohibits customers from further exporting products to Russia. Steiner-Forsberg declined to comment on whether Wärtsilä has taken action against any customers for violating the terms of the contract.
