GERMAN customs are holding a Canadian cargo ship in violation of EU sanctions on russian exports after it put in for emergency repairs, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
The 30,345-dwt Marshall Islands- flagged Atlantic Navigator II has been stranded in the German Baltic port of Rostock while customs investigates the matter.
The general cargo ship, registered in the Marshall Islands, departed St Petersburg on February 29 with the intention of heading to the US.
However, it encountered propulsion problems in the Baltic Sea and docked in Rostock for repairs.
Built in 2003, the geared vessel measures 193 metres in length and is owned by the CIN Shipping Group of Canada, which operates under the ARRC Line.
The company has been engaged in Atlantic trade since 1995.
Upon arrival in Germany, customs conducted a routine inspection and found the ship loaded with 251 containers of birch plywood and uranium.
ARRC Line informed the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur that they are the sole marine carrier licensed to transport Class 7 goods like Cobalt 60 and uranium, which are vital for healthcare services, food safety and energy security.
However, the problem is not with the uranium but the birch plywood.
The EU has included birch wood in its sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
According to the German newspaper Ostsee-Zeitung, the wood originated from a company associated with a Russian oligarch subject to Western sanctions.
Notably, the US sanctions neither cargo aboard the ship.
SeaNews Turkey
The 30,345-dwt Marshall Islands- flagged Atlantic Navigator II has been stranded in the German Baltic port of Rostock while customs investigates the matter.
The general cargo ship, registered in the Marshall Islands, departed St Petersburg on February 29 with the intention of heading to the US.
However, it encountered propulsion problems in the Baltic Sea and docked in Rostock for repairs.
Built in 2003, the geared vessel measures 193 metres in length and is owned by the CIN Shipping Group of Canada, which operates under the ARRC Line.
The company has been engaged in Atlantic trade since 1995.
Upon arrival in Germany, customs conducted a routine inspection and found the ship loaded with 251 containers of birch plywood and uranium.
ARRC Line informed the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur that they are the sole marine carrier licensed to transport Class 7 goods like Cobalt 60 and uranium, which are vital for healthcare services, food safety and energy security.
However, the problem is not with the uranium but the birch plywood.
The EU has included birch wood in its sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
According to the German newspaper Ostsee-Zeitung, the wood originated from a company associated with a Russian oligarch subject to Western sanctions.
Notably, the US sanctions neither cargo aboard the ship.
SeaNews Turkey