The dockers’ union accuses Russia of financing the war in Ukraine with the shipment of diesel.

Dutch dockers refuse to unload a tanker with a cargo of Russian diesel in the port of Amsterdam, a day after a similar action by dockers prevented the ship from entering the port of Rotterdam.

The Sunny Liger, a 42,000 tonne oil tanker, was at anchor off Amsterdam on Saturday as port companies considered entering the Dutch capital.

On Friday, dockers in Rotterdam also refused to take over its cargo.

“Late last night we asked all parties in the port of Amsterdam not to let the ship dock and not to (manage it),” said Asmae Hajjari, president of the port workers’ section of the FNV union. .

“The ship will not enter the port of Amsterdam,” she added in a tweet.

The European Union has imposed a wide range of sanctions on Moscow since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. However, oil and gas are not part of the punitive measures.

Dockers in Sweden had already turned the tanker back, after which it set sail for the Netherlands.

“Russia is financing the war in Ukraine with the cargo,” the FNV union said in a statement thanking the Swedish workers for returning the ship.

Departing from Primorsk near St Petersburg in Russia a week ago, the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker’s final destination was Amsterdam, according to shipping website MarineTraffic.com.

“At the moment the ship is at anchor in the North Sea. So far it has not requested permission to enter the port,” said the spokeswoman for the port of Amsterdam. , Marcella Wesseling.

“In principle, we cannot refuse her entry because she does not fall under the sanctions regime (against Russia),” Wesseling told AFP.

Wesseling said the ship could be allowed into port once he made a formal request, but “only if it was safe for him to do so”.

“If there’s any doubt about that, we can decide otherwise,” Wesseling said.

“Nautical service providers and the port terminal have indicated that they have safety concerns surrounding the handling of this vessel,” she said.

A company responsible for towing the ship into port said it would refuse if asked, saying it could lead to a dangerous situation if protesters wanted to stop the ship from entering, the Dutch business news station reported. RTL Newws.

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Friday that legally the Sunny Liger could not be refused entry to a Dutch port, but that he supported the dockers’ actions.