London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 16, 2025

Ukraine sanctions: UK dockers refuse tanker of Russian gas

Ukraine sanctions: UK dockers refuse tanker of Russian gas

Dockers in Kent have refused to unload two tankers of Russian gas, forcing them to go elsewhere, a union has said.

The Boris Vilkitsky and Fedor Litke have been diverted from the Isle of Grain, the largest terminal in Europe for importing liquefied natural gas.

Unison head of energy Matt Lay said staff were "determined to support the Ukrainian people and uphold the sanctions imposed against Russia".

However, there are concerns over a loophole in the current sanctions.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Tuesday that the UK had become the first country to pass a law banning ships with "any Russian connection" from entering its ports.

Mr Lay said: "Sadly, this doesn't seem to be the case."

"The Department for Transport rules only appear to cover the ownership and operators of vessels, not the cargo."

The Isle of Grain LNG is the largest terminal in Europe for importing liquefied natural gas


The two tankers contain enough liquid gas to supply the UK for up to 12 days.

The ships are sailing under the flag of Cyprus. Many ship owners opt to use a flag of another country for taxation or regulatory reasons.

Mr Lay added: "The government must act immediately to stop Russian goods continuing to arrive in the UK under the cover of another country."

A National Grid Spokesperson said: "In line with government policy, we do not expect any Russian-linked ships to dock at Grain."


Analysis

By Simon Browning, BBC News Business Correspondent

As the ground war in Ukraine continues, an economic offensive with Russia is under way.

Western governments have united during the last week to enforce broad sanctions on the Russian economy, its businesses and their leaders. Western retailers have pulled back too. But how effective are sanctions?

Blocking Russian vessels alone in this scenario may not be enough as many Russian businesses use transport that is licensed and registered in other countries, such as Cyprus, Hong Kong or The Bahamas. Experts say this is a loophole in sanction enforcement.

The rule of law is important here, because on what grounds would you block a vessel in line with Russian sanctions that is flagged in Cyprus or another country?

An enormous amount of due diligence would also need to be applied to every vessel movement and what the vessels are carrying. This would require huge amounts of enforcement, which sanctions experts say is substantial and complicated.

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said the sanctions apply to ships that are Russian owned, operated, controlled, registered or flagged.

He added: "Ministers are exploring options to further reduce the already small amount of imports we do get from Russia and we continue to urge Europe to put in place plans to end their dependence in Russian gas."

Julian Bray, editor-in-chief of international shipping newspaper TradeWinds, said: "While the cargoes themselves are not sanctioned, the ships are. And the number of ships is very wide, and can be added to ad hoc.

"The sanctions have effectively paralysed shipping to and from Russia. The legal uncertainties, risks to crews, insurance costs, and the potential financial and reputational risks means that very few ships and cargoes are moving."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
×