The European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) want to specific its assist for the fifth sanction bundle in opposition to Russia, as adopted by the EU Member States on 8 April. Europe’s ports stress the significance of readability and uniformity within the software of the sanctions within the completely different Member States of the EU. The governments and competent authorities within the Member States should put every little thing in place to ensure a clean implementation of this choice and restrict additional disruption of the EU provide chain.
The fifth sanction bundle features a ban on Russian flagged vessels from EU ports, aside from agricultural and meals merchandise, humanitarian assist, and vitality. It foresees as from August 2022 a prohibition to buy, import or switch coal and different strong fossil fuels that comes from Russia into the EU. It additionally features a ban on any Russian and Belarusian highway transport firms to move items throughout the EU, together with in transit, and offers additional export bans, concentrating on jet gasoline and different items reminiscent of quantum computer systems and superior semiconductors, high-end electronics, software program, delicate equipment and transportation gear, and new import bans on merchandise reminiscent of wooden, cement, fertilisers, seafood and liquor.
Relating to the implementation of the EU-Russia sanctions, Europe’s ports:
Stress the significance of an EU-wide uniform software of the sanctions: a harmonised implementation of the ban on Russian vessels from EU ports must be ensured, sustaining a stage enjoying discipline between ports, and stopping “port buying” by Russian ships. The European Maritime Security Company might on this respect play an vital function in offering a transparent checklist of Russian vessels to be banned from EU ports, taking into consideration these vessels which have re-flagged or re-registered since 24 February.
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Ask the governments and the competent public authorities, each at nationwide and EU stage, to take up their tasks and plan sufficient workers and assets to make sure a clean software of the measures, avoiding additional delays in an already disrupted provide chain. The ban on Russian vessels from EU ports in addition to the import and export bans on completely different classes of products implies a whole lot of extra checks to be finished in ports to manage and decide which vessels and cargo are lined by the ban and which of them are to be exempted. Europe’s ports rely on the complete engagement of the governments and competent authorities of the Member States to make sure that these checks will not be creating additional delays in an already disrupted provide chain. Blocked cargo and ships might create extra congestion in ports and in terminals in ports, that are already dealing with the implications of a saturated provide chain.
The European port neighborhood condemns the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and continues to precise its solidarity with the Ukrainian port neighborhood, as represented by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA), since 2018 observer member in ESPO.
Supply: ESPO
