Vitaly Orlov, the billionaire owner of the Russian fishing company Norebo, has filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian government. The legal action challenges Norway’s decision to ban Norebo vessels from its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and ports, a move taken after the company was included in the EU’s 17th Sanctions Package in May 2025.
Norwegian and EU authorities allege that Norebo’s trawlers are equipped with surveillance technology and exhibit “erratic movement patterns” near critical underwater infrastructure (such as gas pipelines and cables), suggesting they are part of a Russian state-sponsored espionage campaign.
Norebo’s lawyer, Hallvard Østgård, argues that while Norway has sovereignty over its 12-mile territorial waters, banning the company from the 200-mile economic zone violates existing Russian-Norwegian fishing agreements.
Norebo denies all allegations of intelligence gathering, having submitted a 10,000-page rebuttal to the European Council. The company warns that losing access to these waters will have significant economic consequences, as they control roughly 40% of the Barents Sea cod quota.
