Rostock Port Detains Cargo Ship for EU Sanctions Violation

German port officials have detained the cargo vessel Atlantic Navigator II due to an unintentional breach of European Union sanctions against the export of Russian merchandise.

For the past month, the ship has been anchored at the port of Rostock, Germany, where customs authorities have been probing into the sanction violations.

The vessel left Saint Petersburg, Russia, on February 29 and encountered propulsion issues while navigating the Baltic Sea. It arrived in Rostock on March 4 for repairs. During a standard inspection by customs, the ship was found to be carrying 251 containers of birch plywood and uranium.

ARRC, the shipping company, has claimed that it is the sole maritime transporter authorized to carry Class 7 goods, including materials like cobalt 60 and low-enriched uranium, vital for healthcare, food safety, and energy security. This shipment of enriched uranium was destined for nuclear facilities in the United States.

However, the cargo of birch plywood was identified as falling under the EU's sanctions regime. The sanctions apply because the plywood is linked to a company associated with a Russian oligarch who is on the EU's sanctions list. Meanwhile, the United States has not imposed sanctions on either of these goods, allowing trade between the US and Russia to proceed without restriction.

Following the discovery, the port authorities in Rostock announced that the Atlantic Navigator II was subject to a detention order from customs, barring its departure from the port.

Constructed in 2003 and flagged under the Marshall Islands, the vessel measures 193 meters in length and 28 meters in width. The CISN Shipping Group of Canada owns the vessel, and it is operated by the ARRC Line, a company with a history of transatlantic shipments dating back to 1995.