Ship forced to move on after dockers at UK refinery refuse to unload Russian oil

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06.03.2022 - 21:33

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theguardian.com:

A ship carrying Russian oil that was moored in north-west England has moved on after workers made it clear they would not unload the cargo.

The German-flagged Seacod was moored near the Stanlow oil refinery in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, but moved away on Sunday, heading north.

On Friday the Unite union said it had informed Stanlow’s owner, India’s Essar Group, that its members would “under no circumstances unload any Russian oil regardless of the nationality of the vessel which delivers it”, echoing steps taken by counterparts at a gas terminal in Kent and in the Netherlands.

A ban on Russian vessels introduced last week by the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, does not cover cargo, allowing several ships to dock since then despite carrying gas or oil that was ultimately purchased from Kremlin-controlled entities. Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, urged Shapps “to close this loophole immediately”.

It was not clear if the oil was unloaded before unions became aware it was Russian.

A government spokesperson said: “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.”

They 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 on Russian gas.”

The Essar Group said: “Essar remains deeply concerned by the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine and is fully complying with the statutory framework implemented by the UK government with regard to Russia-related entities.

“Earlier this week, we