Three Gazprom liquefied natural gas tankers have been seized by Germany for an indefinite period of time

• Germany seized three Gazprom liquefied natural gas ships on Wednesday, the Telegraph reported.
• The move comes after Berlin took control of Gazprom's German subsidiary in April.

Germany took control of three Gazprom liquefied natural gas tankers Wednesday, the Telegraph reported, as Europe faces an energy crisis and the prospect of rationing later this year.

Dynagas LNG Partners said that Germany's control of the ships would continue "for an indefinite period of time." Two of the ships, the Armur River and the Ob River, were chartered by Gazprom until 2028. The third ship, Clean Energy, was originally under Gazprom control until 2026.

The move comes after Germany took control of Gazprom's German unit in April to ensure energy supplies after Russia invaded Ukraine. Gazprom Germania has since been renamed Securing Energy for Europe.

Germany is racing to store up energy supplies ahead of cold winter months as Russia slashes natural gas deliveries.

Last week, Berlin considered expropriating portions of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline that are in German territory and repurpose them for an LNG terminal. Liquefied natural gas, especially sourced from the US, has been in high demand as Europe looks for alternatives to Russian energy.

But the situation in Europe remains dire. Last Thursday, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck declared the country is now in the "alarm" phase of its gas emergency plan, signaling that businesses and households need to cut down on consumption and that the government foresees long-term risk of supply shortfalls.

And on Tuesday, International Energy Agency Executive Director Faith Birol told Bloomberg that Europe should be prepared to curb its natural gas consumption by up to 30% if Russia completely halts flows.

"Depending on its timing, a complete cut-off of Russian gas supplies to Europe could result in storage fill levels being well below average ahead of the winter, leaving the EU in a very vulnerable position," Birol said in emailed comments to Bloomberg.