A ship carrying Russian oil has diverted to waters off the South West coast after a Welsh port denied its entry.
The ship known as The Archelaos was travelling to Milford Haven having been filled with diesel at Primorsk in Russia. The latest shipping data from real-time vessel database service Marine Traffic suggests the ship is now bound for Antwerp, and its location as of 7am appeared to be just off the Cornish coast.
Diesel terminal Puma Energy was scheduled to offload the cargo on Tuesday (March 8) but said the tanker would no longer call in Pembrokeshire, and it was looking into other diesel providers for the UK, according to a statement shared with the BBC. It is the second Russian Ship turned away after the Welsh port denied the Louie to dock last Friday.
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The crude oil tanker previously called at Le Havre, France, and was to offload its cargo in Wales on Tuesday according to tracking data. It sails under a Liberian flag according to Marine Traffic, and was mapped near St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly this morning.
Puma Energy said it condemned the ongoing violence the Ukrainians are being subjected to by Russia. A spokesperson told the BBC: "The Archelaos was directed to Milford Haven to await orders as we consider the situation on the ground across UK ports. Given recent developments, the vessel will not be calling at Milford Haven."
The sanctions imposed by the UK government are putting a great deal of pressure on energy companies such as Puma, which deals in diesel. 18 per cent of British diesel comes from Russia, despite the UK being less reliant on the country for other forms of gas and oil.
And with around 13 million diesel cars on the UK roads, along with 655,000 lorries and buses, the sanctions will have considerable repercussions. Unions have urged the Government to close what they believe is a loophole following a ban on Russian vessels docking in the UK – because they say cargo is not covered.
Workers at a North West dock declined to unload cargo from a German-flagged ship on Sunday, as it had been carrying Russian oil. Union Unite said because the vessel was German flagged it does not fall under the UK’s ban on Russian shipping.
A Government spokesman told the Press Association on Sunday: “It is mandatory for all ports and harbours to follow legislation banning all ships that are Russian owned, operated, controlled, registered or flagged from entering British ports. The Government will support all ports in exercising their responsibilities.
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“We’ll continue to monitor the impact of the situation, but the UK has no issue with gas supply, and unlike other countries in Europe, the UK is in no way dependent on Russian gas, with imports making up just four per cent of demand.
“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.”
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