Maersk tanker denied entry into Spanish port for carrying Russian-origin cargo

Spanish authorities have denied entry of the Singapore-flagged product tanker Maersk Magellan into Tarragona port due to it transporting cargo originating from a former Russian-flagged ship.

The country’s transport ministry said the 2010-built Maersk Magellan received the cargo in a ship-to-ship transfer from a Vietnamese-owned product tanker Elephant that originally came from the Cameroon-flagged Nobel ex-Neatis, which until July 1 sailed under a Russian flag.

The ministry noted the denial of entry was done to comply with EU regulations prohibiting access to any vessel registered under the Russian flag after April 16, 2022, and also to Russian-flagged ships that switched to another flag after February 24, 2022. 

The 50,000 dwt Maersk Magellan is operated by Maersk Tankers pool. Maersk Tankers said in a statement that it had carried out a full sanction check before the operations including a check of the two vessels.

“It also included a cargo check and was supported by official documents that showed the cargo is of Turkish origin and was loaded by Nobel in the port of Aliaga, Turkey, on January 28, 2023,” the company said, adding: “Maersk Tankers is currently in dialogue with relevant parties and the vessel is meanwhile awaiting further detailed instructions from charterers in relation to the discharge of its cargo.”

This is not the first time that Spain has barred the entry into its port of a ship whose cargo initially came from a Russian-flagged ship. In April last year, the Barcelona Maritime Authority denied port access to the Maltese-flagged Black Star for taking on cargo from a Russian-flagged, Andrey Pervozvanniy.