A Russian cargo ship with fertilizers on board has been detained in the Finnish port of Kotka. This is the first time a Finnish port has detained a Russian cargo ship on suspicion of violating EU sanctions, Russian news agency TASS reported March 23.
Local media in Finland were the first to report on May 22 that the cargo ship Swem had been detained in the port of Kotka. Pia Sarivaara, the official in charge of sanctions at the Finnish Foreign Ministry, said, "In cooperation with the relevant authorities, we found that the cargo contained fertilizers that may belong to a person on the EU sanctions list. According to EU rules, these assets must be frozen as soon as they are found."
The cargoship is currently outside the port of Kotka. Some analysts believe that Finland may also allow the cargoship to leave, but the conditions for release are not yet clear. According to Pia Sarivaara, the ship will be allowed to leave Finnish sea areas if it is destined for a third country and if the cargo is for food production.
It is the first time a Finnish port has detained a cargo ship on suspicion of violating EU sanctions, said Kimmo Naski, head of the Port of Kotka. According to unofficial data, there could be as much as 20,000 tons of fertilizer on board and the cargo could be worth between 10 and 12 million euros.
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