Romania Closes Black Sea Ports to Russian Ships Starting on Sunday, April 17

Romania closes its ports to the Russian ships. The decision enters into force on Sunday, April 17. The European Commission asks for the measure, but each member state is free to choose the date of applying it.

The ban is for all the vessels, and no ship under the Russian flag, including yachts, recreational crafts or pleasure boats, is allowed to enter the Romanian ports on the Black Sea.

Romania also applies the ban to all the Russian ships that changed their flag after February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Pursuant to Council Regulation (EU) 2022/576 of 8 April 2022 amending Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions to destabilize the situation in Ukraine from 17 April 2022, at 00:00, the entry into the Romanian ports of any ship registered under the Russian flag is prohibited, including ships that have changed their Russian flag to the flag of any other state or that have changed their registration in Russia in the registration in any another state after February 24, 2022.

Romanian Naval Authority press release

Exceptions to the ban

There are exceptions to this ban, though, and Russian vessels can dock under the following circumstances:

Safety purpose

Suppose it’s a ship in need of assistance and seeking a place of refuge or in need of an emergency stopover in a port for maritime safety or rescue. human lives at sea.

Commercial and humanitarian purposes

According to the decision, the Russian vessel is allowed if the access is necessary for:

(a) the acquisition, importation or transport in the Union of natural gas and oil, including refined petroleum products, titanium, aluminium, copper, nickel, palladium and iron ore, as well as certain chemicals and iron products as referred to in Annex XXIV;

(b) the purchase, import or transport of pharmaceutical, medical, agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilisers, the import, purchase and transport of which are permitted under this Regulation;

(c) humanitarian purposes;

(d) the carriage of nuclear fuel and other products strictly necessary for the operation of civilian atomic capabilities;

(e) the purchase, import or transport into the Union of coal and other solid fossil fuels, as listed in Annex XXII, until 10 August 2022