EU Court upholds ban on Russian ships entering ports

The court did not consider the ban on access to ports on the merits, declaring the claim in this part inadmissible.

Vessels certified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping will no longer be able to enter ports and locks of the European Union. The General Court of the EU made this decision on November 4 in case T-535/24, considering the registry’s claim against sanctions, writes EU Observer.

Before that, the Russian registry tried to challenge two different restrictions. In the end, the court did not consider the ban on vessels entering European ports at all on the merits. It declared the claim in this part inadmissible, because this measure directly concerns the vessels themselves, and not the organization that certifies them. Therefore, the restriction is valid in full.

However, in the second part of the claim, the Russians got their way. This concerns the decision of the EU Council to permanently revoke the European recognition of the registry – that is, the right to inspect and certify vessels on behalf of member states. The court found this measure disproportionate: it was enough to temporarily suspend the authority, rather than completely deprive the status.

However, this has no practical consequences. The repealed provision remains in force for another two months and ten days, and the decision can be appealed within the same period. The remaining sanctions – investment bans and bans on transactions with the organization – remain in force.

Recall that the decision was made against the background of suspicions of Russia’s involvement in damage to submarine cables near the Norwegian archipelago of Spitsbergen and in the Baltic Sea.

Reference. The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping classified 4,207 vessels, of which 3,772 sail under the Russian flag – these are icebreakers, oil tankers, cargo and fishing vessels. The organization was founded in 1913, is based in St. Petersburg and is fully owned by the state.