Romania has banned Russian-flagged ships from entering its Black Sea and Danube ports from Sunday, the official Russian agency TASS said today.
According to the Romanian Maritime Administration, Russia is in line with sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) on Russia for attacking Ukraine on 24 February.
“With effect from April 17, 2022, at 00:00, entry into Romanian ports is prohibited for any ship registered under the Russian flag, including vessels that have changed the Russian flag to the flag of another state or have Changed registration in Russia. Registration in another state after February 24, 2022”, announced the Romanian authority.
According to Romanian television and the same source cited by the Russian agency, the ban also applies to yachts and pleasure craft.
Exceptions will be made only for ships whose crew is in need of humanitarian assistance or ships transporting energy, agricultural and food products to EU countries.
With this decision, Romania is implementing measures adopted by the European Union on March 8, tightening sanctions against Russia.
The new package also includes sanctions on Russian and Belarusian road freight operators in the EU, with the exception of “agriculture and food products, humanitarian aid and energy”, according to the European Commission.
The EU’s fifth sanctions package includes a ban on imports of Russian coal and other solid fossil fuels, a ban on exports to Russia, especially high-tech goods, up to €10 billion and new sanctions against banks.
After the 2004 expansion, Romania became a member of the European Union in 2007, along with Bulgaria, which included Slovenia, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic and Cyprus.
In addition to EU restrictive measures, Russia has been subject to economic and financial sanctions from countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan or traditionally neutral Switzerland.
