A ban has been imposed on all Russian vessels entering EU ports, which was announced in the fifth round of sanctions approved by the EU against Russia, published on Friday, April 8, 2022.

Published 11 months ago

Source:  Yachting News

The restriction affects all Russian boats that fall under the scope of the relevant international conventions, as well as all boats over 15 metres that do not carry goods and recreational boats as defined in the 2013/53/EU Recreational Craft Directive.  It also includes units that have decommissioned their Russian flag by registering in another state after February 24, 2022.

The ban, which came into force on Saturday April 16th, is an unprecedented measure in the boating sector and has been decided by Brussels as yet another measure to punish Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which has been engaged in a violent war against Ukraine for almost two months.

This is why, in recent weeks, a number of sanctions have been imposed throughout the European Union in order to undermine the Russian economy, including – again in the boating sphere – countless seizures of luxury boats belonging to Russian oligarchs and moored in European ports.

However, the EU announcement noted that exemptions would apply for medical, food, energy, and humanitarian purposes, amongst others.

UK and Channel Island Bans Already in Place

The UK and the Channel Islands have already banned Russian owned, operated, controlled, chartered, registered or flagged ships from entering their ports. The UK have issued legislative backing to the order, prompting at least 20 Russian vessels to immediately deviate or anchor awaiting orders.  The UK ban came into effect on March 1, 2022 followed soon after by the Channel Islands on March 2.

In a statement, the Government of Jersey said: “In line with the UK’s position, Jersey will be adopting these new restrictions. We are working closely with the UK to share intelligence and to assist in identifying Russian vessels.”

Marshall Islands Could Also Take Action

In the Pacific, the Marshall Islands are reportedly considering “expelling” from their ship registry any Russian yachts or boats that have been targeted by Western-led sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, according to its foreign minister.

News agency Reuters reported that Foreign Minister Casten Nemra, told reporters on a trip to Taiwan that his Pacific island nation strongly condemned the Russian invasion.

“For this reason, Marshall Islands are looking into expelling any Russian ownership in terms of yachts or those that are listed and are on the sanction list,”he said.

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Related News:

EU Agrees Fifth Package of Restrictive Measures Against Russia – EU

EU Bans Russian Boats from Entering EU Ports – Yachting News

Estonia Bans Russian Ships from Entering the Country’s Ports

EU Countries Begin to Ban Russian Ships from National Ports – Wall Street Journal

Marshall Islands Could Expel Russian Ships – Safety4Sea

Norway Ponders EU Proposal to Ban Russian Vessels

Russian Vessels Banned from Channel Islands – ITV

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Related Links:

European Commission

Lloyds List Maritime Intelligence

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