Relying on the Northern Sea Route or Murmansk transshipment would also depend on ice conditions, shifting supplies to Asia to the second half of each calendar year, he added. How would European companies be impacted? European companies such as Germany's state-owned Securing Energy for Europe GmbH, Shell Plc and TotalEnergies SE rely on transshipments in Zeebrugge and Montoir for Yamal cargoes, according to a contract base published by the global importers' group. Those contracts won't expire until 2038 and 2041, potentially opening the door to force majeure notices or contractual disputes if transshipments are banned. SEFE, for example, needs Yamal LNG volumes transshipped in Zeebrugge to serve its long-term contract with India's GAIL Ltd.