Media: a cargo ship with Russian fertilizers was detained in Finland

In the Finnish port of Kotka, the cargo ship Smew was detained with fertilizers, some of which are allegedly linked to a Russian individual who is under European sanctions, write RIA Novosti with reference to Yle.

The Smew is now anchored outside the harbor, according to Port General Manager Kimmo Naska. It was the first time cargo was delayed in this port due to European restrictions, he noted. According to unconfirmed information from Yle, there are about 20,000 tons of fertilizer on the ship, the price of which is 480-600 euros per ton. Thus, the market value of this cargo is 10-12 million euros.

The Department of Sanctions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland suggests that some of the fertilizers transported on a cargo ship are related to a Russian individual who is under sanctions. According to the head of the department, Pia Sarivaara, according to EU rules, such assets should be frozen upon discovery.

Earlier it became known that the national police of Albania on February 20 delayed a Liberian-flagged tanker on suspicion of transporting oil from Russia to Albania in circumvention of EU and US sanctions. It was clarified that the operation was developed on the basis of police intelligence data. According to preliminary information, the detained ship was transporting a batch of oil from those countries to which the embargo applies, “namely from Russia.” It was alleged that the tanker left Azerbaijan and was then loaded in the Greek port of Kalamata with oil from another vessel.

The national police added that the necessary documents for oil were not provided. In this regard, the police seized the shipping documentation, and 22 crew members were detained for investigation.

The vessel was detained in the port of Durres on the Adriatic coast in the western part of Albania. It is considered the main seaport of the country and is located in the second largest city of the same name.