MAERSK has announced further reductions of operations in Russia and Belarus as the European Commission proposed a ban on Russian oil imports.
In a customer advisory published Wednesday 4 May, Maersk said it had stopped all vessel operations in Russia and service with Belarus. It also announced a timeline the closure of several offices in the region.
Maersk’s recent update fits into the timeline of an earlier decision to cease all operations in the two countries.
The company said the gradual winding down does not allow for any new business in Russia of Belarus.
The company said it had done its “utmost” to withdraw from Russia in a responsible way by preparing to close its offices in far-east Russia, Novorossiysk and Kaliningrad over the European summer months.
“The Saint Petersburg and Moscow office will run until the end of the year,” it said. “Our Belarus office will also be shut down during the summer.”
Maersk said it is prioritising the safety of its employees and the security of supply chains.
“Our teams have been in close contact with our customers during the past months and for the affected cargo we have done our utmost to deliver it to initially planned end-destinations or to offer a change of destination where practicable, legally allowed and reasonable for our customers,” it said.
“However, for some customers this has not been possible despite our efforts.
“We will always work with the objective of minimising disruption to our customers’ supply chains and we strongly encourage affected customers to keep the lines of communication open between our teams.”
On the same day, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen proposed the ban on Russian oil in a speech to the European Parliament in France.
According to a report from Reuters, the commission also proposed to ban all shipping, brokerage, insurance and financing services offered by EU companies for the transport of Russian oil.
Ms von der Leyen recalled the high-level agreement to phase out dependency on Russian energy, beginning with coal in the last sanction package.
“We now propose a ban on Russian oil. This will be a complete import ban on all Russian oil, seaborne and pipeline, crude and refined,” she said.
“We will make sure that we phase out Russian oil in an orderly fashion, in a way that allows us and our partners to secure alternative supply routes and minimises the impact on global markets.”
Under the proposed sanction, Russian supply of crude oil would be phased out within six months, and refined products phased out by the end of the year.
