Article 3qa
(EU Council Regulation 833/2014)
1. Any sale or other arrangement entailing a transfer of ownership by a national of a Member State, by a natural person residing in a Member State or by a legal person, entity or body established in the Union to any third country of an LNG tanker vessel falling under CN code ex 8901 20 shall be notified immediately to the competent authorities of the Member State where the owner of the vessel is a national, resident or is established.
The notification to the competent authority shall contain at least the following information:
(a) the identities of the seller and the purchaser;
(b) where applicable, the incorporation documents of the seller and the purchaser, including the shareholding and management;
(c) the IMO ship identification number of the vessel; and
(d) the call sign of the vessel.
2. The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any notification under paragraph 1 within one week of the notification.
3. On the basis of an assessment by the Commission of the information provided under paragraphs 1 and 2, the Council shall review, by 25 October 2026, whether a prohibition as provided for in paragraphs 4 to 9 should enter into force.
4. From the date decided by the Council under paragraph 10, it shall be prohibited for any national of a Member State, any natural person residing in a Member State and any legal person, entity or body established in the Union to sell, or otherwise transfer ownership, directly or indirectly, of liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker vessels falling under CN code ex 8901 20 to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Russia or for use in Russia.
5. In accordance with paragraph 4, any national of a Member State, any natural person residing in a Member State and any legal person, entity or body established in the Union that sells or otherwise transfers ownership, directly or indirectly, of an LNG tanker vessel falling under CN code ex 8901 20 to persons, entities or bodies in any third country shall:
(a) take appropriate steps, proportionate to their nature and size, to identify and assess the risks of onward diversion to a natural or legal person, entity or body in Russia or for use in Russia;
(b) implement appropriate policies, controls and procedures, proportionate to their nature and size, to mitigate and manage effectively the risks referred to in point (a).
6. Natural and legal persons, entities or bodies referred to in paragraph 5 acquiring LNG tanker vessels shall provide all the information necessary for the completion of the steps referred to in point (a) of that paragraph.
7. The steps referred to in paragraph 5, point (a), shall address all relevant information available at the time of the sale or transfer.
8. Any sale or other arrangement entailing a transfer of ownership by a national of a Member State, by a natural person residing in a Member State or by a legal person, entity or body established in the Union to any third country of an LNG tanker vessel falling under CN code ex 8901 20 shall contain a written contractual prohibition on any further resale or transfer of the vessel to any natural or legal person, entity or body in Russia or for use in Russia.
9. The sale or other arrangement referred to in paragraph 8 shall also include written contractual provisions by which the third-country party acquiring the vessel:
(a) commits to mirroring the prohibition in paragraph 8 in any further resale or transfer that it undertakes; and
(b) obliges, in any further resale or transfer, the acquirer of the vessel to include written contractual provisions equivalent to those required by paragraph 8 and this paragraph.
10. Paragraphs 4 to 9 shall apply from the date of entry into force of a Regulation to be adopted by the Council upon a joint proposal from the High Representative and the Commission, based on the assessment carried out by the Commission referred to in paragraph 3.