Category: Security policy

Reflagging at record speed

Reflagging at record speed

Gepostet von | 12 Apr 2022 | , , , | 0

More Russian-flagged vessels than usual switched flags to other countries in March, possibly to disguise their links to Moscow and avoid being dragged into sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine, reports Windward Ltd. A total of 18 vessels, including 11 cargo ships, switched to non-Russian flags last month. This is more than three times the monthly average. It is also the first time the figure has reached double digits, based on data going back to January 2020. The reflagging comes at a time when Russian ships - from oil tankers...

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No supply for Russian tankers

No supply for Russian tankers

Gepostet von | 11 Apr 2022 | , , , | 0

Marine fuel suppliers have stopped supplying Russian-flagged vessels at major European hubs, including Spain and Malta - a further blow to Moscow's exports. The loss of access to refuelling stations in the Mediterranean poses major logistical problems for Russian oil tankers sailing from Baltic ports to Asia and also raises safety concerns as they could be stranded at sea with flammable cargo. The suspension of refuelling services is due to several factors, including what sources have called "self-sanctioning", in which companies try to pre-empt the next wave of measures by refusing to sign contracts with oil companies.

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Russian shipping containers pile up in Rotterdam

Russian shipping containers pile up in Rotterdam

Gepostet von | 11 Apr 2022 | , , , | 0

In normal times, the port of Rotterdam is like a machine: hundreds of ships come and go every day, and tens of thousands of boxes are loaded and unloaded from these ships to keep Europe's economy running. At the moment, however, many containers are blocking the processes because of the sanctions against Russia. The crates, which are usually 20 or 40 feet long and destined for the sanctioned country, all have to be carefully checked to ensure that their onward transport does not violate the sanctions in any way, says Allard Castelein, Managing Director of the Port of Rotterdam. Several authorities are monitoring...

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+++ German shipowners are worried about their seafarers+++

+++ German shipowners are worried about their seafarers+++

Gepostet von | 8 Apr 2022 | , , | 0

Danger for German ships? German shipowners are worried that Moscow could react to the closure of Western ports to Russian ships and that ships could be used as pawns in the Ukraine war. "We fear possible countermeasures by the Russian side with regard to the EU-ordered closures of European ports for Russian ships," said Gaby Bornheim, President of the German Shipowners' Association (VDR). "There is a risk that our ships will be tied up in Russian harbours. We appeal not to allow seafarers and civilian merchant ships to become pawns in this conflict." The EU states have previously announced the closure of EU ports to...

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Mines in the Black Sea: Russia accuses Ukraine

Mines in the Black Sea: Russia accuses Ukraine

Gepostet von | 8 Apr 2022 | , , , | 0

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of releasing Soviet-era YaM and YarM mines floating in the northern Black Sea, three of which have been discovered and neutralised so far. According to Russian claims, there are hundreds of mines near its coast. Some of them are floating in the open waters of the Black Sea and are a danger to commercial shipping. This comes a day after Kiev claimed that Moscow was responsible. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Russia was laying sea mines in the Black Sea as "uncontrolled drifting ammunition" and making them "a de facto weapon for...

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