U.K. Tells Ports Not to Provide Access to Russian Ships

(Bloomberg) -- Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told U.K. ports not to provide access to Russian ships, as Britain moved to further expand its sanctions against Vladimir Putin's regime in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

“These vessels are not welcome here,” Shapps said Monday on Twitter. “Prohibiting legislation” will follow, he said.

Shapps posted a copy of the letter he's sent ports, instructing them to block any vessels they believe are owned, controlled, chartered or operated by any person connected with Russia, or by sanctioned individuals. Vessels flying the Russian flag or registered in Russia should also be blocked, he said.

Then U.K. last week unveiled its biggest-ever set of sanctions against any country as punishment for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It includes an imminent ban on Aeroflot planes landing in the U.K., blocks on certain exports and legislation to stop all major Russian companies from raising finance on U.K. markets.

Shapps said the U.K. and its allies are “developing an unprecedented package of further sanctions.” He promised the government would help ports to identify Russian ships that fall within the scope of the ban. “Further detailed sanctions against Russian shipping are being developed and further details will be shared very shortly,” he wrote.

Separately, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told the House of Commons that the government would continue to target wealthy Russians with sanctions, “focusing on their houses, their yachts, and every aspect of their lives.”

Russian Tankers

Oil traders often use Russian tankers to ferry supplies from North Sea fields to refineries on the mainland. They will now have to turn to other ships, just as the cost of hiring vessels in the region surges.

Three crude tankers owned by Russian shipping company Sovcomflot PSJC are currently off the coast of the U.K., tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg show. A fourth, the NS Century, is in the process of discharging a cargo of Nigerian crude at the Finnart terminal on the west coast of Scotland. All are Aframax tankers, capable of hauling about 700,000 barrels of oil.

The NS Captain is off Scotland's east coast, awaiting orders after loading at the Hound Point terminal near Edinburgh on Feb. 24. The NS Concept is empty off the east coast of England after delivering a cargo of Norwegian crude to the Immingham terminal on Feb. 25.

The NS Champion, which had been due to load a cargo of Flotta crude from the Scapa Flow terminal on the Orkney islands will no longer sail there, the local council said in a statement.

“This was a very complex, fast-moving situation -- and we have ultimately achieved the best possible outcome,” council leader James Stockan said.