Captain of Russian ship fined €8,000 in Germany for violating EU sanctions

The captain of the Russian cargo ship Atlantic Navigator II, which was held for several weeks in the port of Rostock, Germany, was forced to pay a fine of EUR 8,000 for violating EU sanctions. This was reported by Spiegel.

Damage forced the docking of the Atlantic Navigator II ship in Rostock, which was carrying birch plywood and uranium from Russia. The EU has now fined the captain for violating EU sanctions.

The prosecutor’s office in Rostock announced the final closure and termination of the proceedings against the man. Human Rights Watch, a human rights organization, received the payment.

During the trial, the prosecutor’s office chose the recipient of the payment. Recognizing the organization as a non-profit, like Human Rights Watch eV, registered in Germany, was a prerequisite. According to the prosecutor’s office, the Russian captain had no previous convictions.

The 193-meter-long cargo ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands made an unscheduled call to Rostock on March 4. Moving through the ice likely caused damage to the vessel’s propeller. The vessel had departed from St. Petersburg and was heading to Baltimore.

The Canadian shipping company that operated the vessel justified the call at the port of Rostock by claiming that the damaged propeller posed a “serious risk to the safety of the vessel, crew, and cargo on board.”

However, after customs officers inspected the goods, they issued a “detention order.” Customs officers prevented the ship from leaving the port. The reason was that the ship was carrying 251 containers of birch plywood, which is subject to EU sanctions. At least four different American companies allegedly received the plywood shipments.

Enriched uranium for nuclear power plants was also on board. However, it is not on the EU sanctions list. Only on April 19 was Atlantic Navigator II permitted to depart Rostock once more.

On June 24, the EU Council adopted the 14th package of economic and individual restrictive measures against Russia, which, for the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, includes sanctions against Russian gas.