A list of “banned” Russian ships may be created in Europe

The European Seaport Organization (ESPO) is calling for a unified and clear application of the recently introduced EU measures on ships under the Russian flag, which were adopted as part of the fifth set of EU sanctions against the Russian Federation.

It is reported by the railway magazine Railway Supply.

In its statement, ESPO calls on European leaders to ensure that sanctions are applied uniformly by all EU countries, harmonizing their implementation to maintain a level playing field between competing ports. This will interfere with the “port shopping” of Russian ships.

Like the British Ports Association (BPA), which proposed to draw up an official government list of all vessels subject to sanctions, ESPO also called on the European Maritime Safety Agency to develop a single list of “banned” Russian vessels. This will make sure that all ports prohibit all the same ships. ESPO noted that the list should also include any ships that have de-flagged or re-registered since the start of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

To ensure that the sanctions process runs smoothly, ESPO called on the EU authorities and national governments to assign sufficient personnel and resources to the task.

“The ban on Russian ships in EU ports, as well as the ban on the import and export of various categories of goods, provides for many additional checks in ports to control and determine which ships and cargoes are subject to the ban and which are exempt from it. Blocked cargo and ships could create additional congestion at ports and terminals already facing supply chain challenges,” ESPO said in a statement.

Recall that due to sanctions, all EU countries have closed their ports to Russian ships. Two Russian tankers were detained in Greece.

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