Russian fishing vessel flanked by Norwegian Coast Guard

The Norwegian Coast Guard accompanied the Russian trawler Melkart-4 when it sailed north on 16 February 2026 in the fisheries protection zone around Svalbard, according to the Barents Observer. The coast guard ships broke off their own patrol route, the Barents Observer reported. They then took up position beside the trawler. It came a couple of weeks after the Melkart-4's sister ship fished in the same area. Murman Seafood, a Russian company under sanctions, owns and runs both vessels.

Murman Seafood and a second company, Norebo, were added to the 17th sanctions package of the EU Council in May 2025, because of concerns about intelligence gathering. Norway introduced the same measures in July 2025. The EU text singled out the Melkart-5. It said the vessel had moved in a highly unusual way close to an undersea cable in the North Sea off Norway. It said the vessel crossed the cable several times just before the cable suffered severe damage. Both companies may not fish in Norway's economic zone or call at Norwegian ports.

Those restrictions do not reach the waters near Svalbard, which lie beyond the Norwegian economic zone. AIS tracking shows Murman Seafood has mostly fished cod in the western part of the protection zone. The Svalbard subsea cable runs through that area, the Barents Observer added. It also says the EU document tied the cable's damage to the Melkart-5 crossing it several times in 2022.

Jonny Karlsen, spokesperson for the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, told the newspaper that coast guard vessels, KV Bj grn oya among them, enforce sovereignty and monitor activity in the zone as routine. He said vessels operating there are inspected regularly. He said activity in the first months of 2026 is relatively low, so few vessels are available to inspect. He said any inspection of the vessels concerned would be chosen at random. The Barents Observer had asked Murman Seafood for comment and had received no reply.