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British dock workers are refusing to unload Russian oil from a German-flagged vessel at a port in northwest England in protest of the invasion of Ukraine.
The Seacod, a German-flagged tanker, delivered Russian crude to Birkenhead Docks near Liverpool over the weekend, Sky News reported.
But union workers have told the ship’s operators that they “will under no circumstances unload any Russian oil regardless of the nationality of the vessel which delivers it.”
The British government has banned Russian ships from docking at its ports, but a loophole allows Russian oil and other goods to be transported to the country using foreign-flagged ships.
Essar Group, the company that operates the Stanlow oil refinery near the port, said that the vessel was granted permission to berth at Tranmere Oil Terminal on the River Mersey.
But the head of Unite, the union of dock workers, said its members refused to unload the cargo.
“I am very proud of @unitetheunion’s members taking a principled stand to prevent Russian oil coming to our ports,” Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham tweeted on Sunday.
“But it is appalling that they have been put in this position by the @GOVUK, which is still dragging its feet on sanctions.”
Two Russian ships that were bound for the British port of Kent were turned away over the weekend as the sanctions kicked in.
Dock workers there also reportedly expressed dismay that they would be tasked with offloading Russian liquid gas.
Anti-Russian sentiment has surged in Europe and the United States after President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine.
Many European countries rely on Russian energy sources including oil and natural gas, but the invasion of Ukraine has intensified calls to end the West’s dependence on Moscow.
Oil prices surged to their highest level in more than a decade on Monday as the Biden administration mulls a potential ban on Russian imports — a move that could further upend the global energy market.
Brent crude oil touched nearly $140 per barrel overnight as the market reacted to the possibility of a ban. The global price benchmark was trading at roughly $125 as of early Monday morning.
West Texas Intermediate crude oil, the US benchmark, was trading at $121 after briefly topping $130 on Sunday night. Prices reached their highest level since 2008.
The escalating energy crisis is spooking investors on Wall Street, sending US stock indices down sharply after the opening bell on Monday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged more than 320 points, while the S&P 500 slid nearly 40 points. The Nasdaq index was also down about 1%.
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