An attempt by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping to overturn an EU ban on its ships from docks and locks has failed.
The EU’s General Court’s ruling on Wednesday (4 November) means that sanctions barring Russian-certified ships from using maritime docks and canal locks will stay in place, for now.
But in a partial victory for the Russian authority, the Luxembourg-based court said a suspension of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS) recognition would be more appropriate than withdrawal.
Sanctions agreed by ministers from EU member states had proposed a permanent measure against recognition of the body, but this was found to be too stringent.
According to the General Court, the RMRS has classified 4,207 ships of which 3,772 fly the flag of Russia.
The ship-certifying body approves ice-breakers, oil tankers, cargo ships and fishing vessels.
The ruling comes as Russia is suspected of being implicated in the cutting of cables near Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago, and also in the Baltic sea.
And in October, reports emerged of Russian fishing trawlers hovering above vital infrastructure connecting Europe and the US.
Brussels is worried by the intensifying hybrid attacks across the European continent. These can come in the form of cyberattacks, spreading misinformation, or sending drones to attack grain shipments in the Black Sea.
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