Container ship captain detained in the Netherlands on suspicion of evading sanctions against Russia

The captain of a container ship was detained at the port of Rotterdam and dozens of containers were seized as part of an investigation into possible circumvention of sanctions against Russia.

The Dutch customs service announced the start of a large-scale operation to identify goods that could have been supplied to Russia in circumvention of EU sanctions through the port of Rotterdam, The Maritime Executive reports.

As part of the investigation, the captain of a container ship that operated regular voyages between Rotterdam and St. Petersburg was detained on June 5. A court in Rotterdam ruled to keep him in custody for at least two weeks while the investigation continues.

The operation involves the Dutch customs service, the Rotterdam Port Police and Europol.

According to customs officials, about 92% of sanctioned goods entering Russia via liner shipping services originate from other European Union countries.

During the inspections, law enforcement officers found a number of containers with violations in the documentation. Some of the cargo was moved to a special warehouse for detailed inspection.

The customs service said that during the inspection, “signs of tampering with the cargo” were found: the labels were removed from the packages, and additional layers of cardboard were glued on top of the boxes to hide the contents.

The investigation also covers two companies located in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

According to customs officers, the operation was aimed primarily at identifying goods whose transit through Russian territory is prohibited due to the risk of their use to support the military industry. Among such goods are aviation components, high-tech equipment, etc.

In one of the containers, inspectors found car windshields, doors, engine oil and a complete air filtration system for vehicles.

Earlier, USM reported that the EU will impose sanctions for the first time against vessels that help the Russian “shadow fleet”.