Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said to the reporters that any bans for the Russian ships to the port of Rotterdam was “not on the table” for now, since such moves would have to be decided at a European level.
The Rotterdam Port Authority clarified that it has not independently drafted any policies of its own in response to the conflict in Ukraine. Nor does the Port Authority have the authority to do something like impose restrictions on businesses. This is the responsibility of the Dutch government.
Mark Rutte made these comments to reporters in Paris, where he will meet French President, Emmanuel Macron.
Yesterday, the oil prices rose towards $130 a barrel. There is a big concern of a potential supply shock, as the U.S. banned Russian oil imports and amid signs that some buyers are already steering clear.
At the same time, the U.S. President, Joe Biden, announced the immediate ban on Russian oil and other energy imports in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. This move was supported by the American voters and lawmakers, despite the fact that there will be an increase to the U.S. energy prices.
The conflict in Ukraine has prompted the European Union and other bodies to impose a number of sanctions on Russia. The extensive import of energy (crude oil, oil products, LNG, coal) is not (yet) affected by sanctions, but the export and transhipment of containers in particular suffers from the uncertainty caused by the conflict and the sanctions, the Port of Rotterdam announced.
Of the roughly 470 million tons transshipped through the port of Rotterdam, 62 million tons are oriented towards Russia (13%).
