Rejected oil tanker from Russia off Dutch coast

Russian ships, or ships affiliated with Russia, are in principle barred from European ports, but there are exceptions. For example, Russian ships with, for example, food and agricultural products remain welcome.

Trade union FNV Havens persuaded the parties involved to refuse the Sunny Liger access to the port of Amsterdam. The union also made the same appeal to port workers in Rotterdam. “This ship is not welcome, because we declare it to be infected,” Hajjari of FNV Havens told NOS last week.. She acknowledged that there was no legal basis to refuse the ship.

Boycotting all Russian ships or ships with Russian cargo is not legally possible, says FNV Havens. The union does not dare, for fear of losing lawsuits from ship owners.

While the Russian tanker was off the coast of IJmuiden, the crew made no request to dock. The shipowner could not be reached for comment.

Other Russian ships to Rotterdam without any problems

During the period that Sunny Liger was off the coast of IJmuiden, seven other tankers with Russian oil and oil products entered the port of Rotterdam. One of them is still there, the others are already on their way to a new destination. One other tanker Russian oil was able to enter the port of Amsterdam without any problems.

There is no EU ban on Russian oil imports yet, but Brussels this week presented plans to get it done this year. The proposal to the Member States is to stop imports of crude oil within six months and also with processed oil products, such as petrol and diesel, by the end of the year. All member states must agree to an agreement.

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