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GreekReporter.comEuropeActivists in UK Block Greek-Flagged Ship Carrying Russian Fuel

Activists in UK Block Greek-Flagged Ship Carrying Russian Fuel

activists greek ship russian oil
Korchagina oil field in Russia. Credt: Pavel Gurenchuk/Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY 3.0

A group of Greenpace activists prevented a Greek-flagged tanker carrying Russian fuel from docking at a port in the UK on Sunday evening.

According to Greenpeace, a global campaigning network dedicated to a variety environmental causes, the twelve activists boarded the ship in Essex and displayed banners reading “oil fuels war.”

The activists used a variety of methods to prevent the ship from docking, as Greenpeace announced in a statement, “with one activist on the offloading pipes, another hanging off the jetty, and others occupying the jetty preventing the tanker from docking.”

As of Monday, police in the UK have arrested fifteen activists, aged 27 to 72, who boarded the 183-meter long (600 feet) ship, which is named Andromeda, for trespassing.

The tanker was carrying 33,000 tons of Russian fuel from Primorsk, Russia. The fuel had been supplied by a large Russian refinery called KINEF.

Activists block ship carrying Russian fuel in the UK

The activists were protesting the importation of Russian fuel to the UK, as well as the role the funds earned from such fuel plays in the war in Ukraine.

After the outbreak of the war this spring, many countries, including the UK and US, stated that they would either cease all imports of Russian fuel or slowly phase it out.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that the country would work to disentangle itself completely from Russian oil by the end of 2022 in early March.

“In another economic blow to the Putin regime following their illegal invasion of Ukraine, the UK will move away from dependence on Russian oil throughout this year, building on our severe package of international economic sanctions,” Johnson said.

Countries across the world, particularly in Europe, have attempted to reduce their dependence on Russian oil since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

Russia is currently the third-largest oil producer in the world and contributes over 10 percent to the global supply of oil.

Despite Johnson’s commitment to phasing out Russian oil imports, Greenpeace has argued that the UK should do more by banning Russian fuel entirely, as the US and many EU countries have done.

According to Greenpeace, the UK has imported 2 million barrels of oil from Russia since the war in Ukraine began in late February.

 

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