The European Union has decided not to include a ban on the transportation of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by tankers owned by European operators in its 21st sanctions package against Russia, following prolonged disagreements among member states.
According to Report‘s European bureau, a senior European Commission official made the announcement.
The official said restrictions on the transport of Russian LNG to third countries had been one of the most difficult elements of the negotiations. Several countries, particularly Greece, had opposed the measure, arguing that it would harm European shipping companies more than Russian exports.
“We concluded that if such a ban were introduced, vessels owned by European operators could very quickly come under the control of Chinese companies through existing financing and leasing mechanisms. As a result, we would impose a ban that would have no significant impact on Russian export flows,” the official said.