The environmental group faces a penalty of at least EUR 50,000 ($63,239) if it tries to prevent the 69,800-dwt Mikhail Ulyanov (built 2010) from berthing.

SCF is involved in huge projects in the arctic and some of its vessels work for oil companies like Gazprom.

With much of the world’s undiscovered oil resources lying in the region, Lord Fairfax of Cameron, director for SCF, told a UK parliamentary on Tuesday: “This is the game we are involved in.”

Greenpeace