Norway considering banning Russian ships from ports

Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Bjørnar Skjæran, confirms to the shipping magazine Skipsrevyen (paywall) that such ban is now under consideration.

“The EU has imposed an array of economic sanctions. Sanctions is most effective when many countries impose the same. We don’t adopt unilateral Norwegian sanctions. That is why we are in close contact with the EU and our neighbouring countries about this,” Minister Skjæran said to Skipsrevyen as quoted by NTB.

A European Commission spokesperson told Reuters that no such ban is in force at the moment. “But we continue working on further sanctions, which will be announced in due course,” the spokesperson said.

Russian vessels, mainly in the fishing business, have become a normal sight in most ports along the coast of northern Norway since the early 1990ties.

In Kirkenes, the border town to the Kola Peninsula, the local shipyard KIMEK estimates that about 70 percent of the revenue comes from Russian customers. In other ports of northern Norway, Russian trawlers deliver their catch and buy supplies. 

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