Port workers in Amsterdam reject tankers from Russia

Created: 05/02/2022, 05:00

By: Nadja Austel, Sonja Thomaser, Vincent Büssow

In the wake of the Ukraine war, tensions between Russia and the West are increasing.

A Russian diesel tanker is turned away in several ports.

• Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, Germany has been trying to achieve independence from gas and oil from Russia.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin halts gas exports to Poland and Bulgaria.

  He threatens the EU and the West.

• The CSU demands expropriations from gas companies.

• Read all about the EU's dependence on Russian gas in the news ticker.

+++ 15:37:

Workers at the port of Amsterdam have rejected a diesel oil tanker from Russia.

The tanker, named "Sunny Liger," anchored off the coast after dockers refused to unload the ship, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported.

Dockers in Sweden had previously turned the tanker away, after which it set course for the Netherlands.

The Dutch union FNV thanked the workers for their inaction.

"With the cargo, Russia is financing the war in Ukraine," it is not just dirty, but bloody money, the statement said.

The union also called on workers in the port of Rotterdam to also turn away the tanker if it tried its luck there as well.

Russian oil is becoming an unpopular commodity as a result of Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine.

(Iconic image) © dpa/Lex Van Lieshout

No more gas from Russia?

According to the model calculation, strong savings are necessary for the EU plan

Update from Saturday, April 30, 11:00 a.m.:

According to a report, the EU’s goals of reducing natural gas imports from Russia and at the same time significantly filling up the storage facilities by winter can only be achieved by weeks of gas waivers in Europe’s industry.

A calculation model by Forschungszentrum Jülich shows that more than 300 terawatt hours of natural gas (around 30 million cubic meters) would have to be saved across Europe this year in order to fulfill an EU plan presented at the beginning of March.

This is reported by the news magazine Spiegel.

EU Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans had stated that the EU member states could forego two-thirds of their gas supplies from Russia by the end of the year and replace them from other sources.

At the same time, the states should fill their storage facilities to at least 80 percent of the maximum capacity by November – in order to get through the next winter without Russian gas if necessary.

No more gas from Russia?

Model calculation predicts supply bottlenecks

Both goals at the same time can therefore only be achieved with significant closures of the industry.

As a result, all steel mills, chemical plants and cement works in the EU would have to be shut off from gas immediately by the end of July - and the gas-fired power plants for almost the whole of July.

All of this applies even under the optimistic assumption that imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas from other countries could again be increased significantly.

No more gas from Russia?

Gazprombank rejects payment from Germany

+++ 9.50 a.m .:

As the news magazine Spiegel reports, the Russian Gazprombank has rejected payments for natural gas deliveries to Germany and Austria.

According to the online portal, the payments are made by Gazprom Marketing & Trading (GM&T) and relate to gas deliveries in April and May.

The Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection confirmed the rejected payments.

A press release from the ministry said: "In this context, there is currently a case at a British subsidiary of Gazprom Germania in which there are ambiguities in the processing of payments.

This affects marginal gas volumes of around 0.2 percent of Russian import volumes to Europe, which are not currently supplied from Russia.

The company can replace this small amount through purchases on the market.

According to the contract, payment should be made in euros.”

Gazprombank has rejected payments for natural gas deliveries to Germany and Austria.

© Igor Russak/dpa

Putin stops gas delivery: CSU Secretary General calls for expropriations

Update from Friday, April 29, 6:52 a.m .:

Against the background of an impending Russian gas embargo, CSU Secretary General Stephan Mayer calls on the federal government to also consider expropriations from gas companies.

“There are high hurdles for expropriations.

But our top priority must indeed be security of supply," Mayer told Die Welt (Friday edition).

First, however, "companies that do not fulfill contracts would have to be transferred to fiduciary administration".

He warned against a European embargo on Russian gas.

"Of course, sanctions against Russia are important and right," he said.

"But we mustn't get our economy into a difficult situation with our eyes wide open." In order to promote independence from fossil fuels, Mayer advocated examining more locations for wind turbines.

“I believe that additional wind turbines should be built in close proximity to or in existing industrial sites in accordance with the population.

This is common in other European countries, but not in Germany.”

Putin halts gas supplies: Energy tariffs in response to Russia's escalation 

+++ 9.30 p.m .:

Experts from the Brussels think tank Bruegel advise instead of a complete supply stop to an import duty on Russian energy to put pressure on Moscow.

"The arguments for a tariff are stronger than ever," said scientist Simone Tagliapietra of the German Press Agency.

"Russia's decision to cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria represents a serious escalation to which Europe should react with unity and resoluteness." He and other Bruegel experts published a letter in the scientific journal Science on Thursday, explaining how tariffs could function as leverage on Russia. 

Putin stops gas delivery - EU: Ruble exchange for gas payments is a matter for Russia 

+++ 6.40 p.m .:

The European Commission has clarified the regulations on the ruble payment required by Russia for gas deliveries.

Companies opening a bank account in Russia and continuing to pay for supplies in euros, as Moscow has requested, do not violate EU sanctions against Russia, EU Commission officials said on Thursday.

"What the Russians do with the money afterwards is up to them," said one official.

Gas supply from Russia:EU companies not obliged to exchange rubles

The regulation thus stipulates that EU companies cannot formally be held responsible for the ruble exchange - but does not prevent Russia from exchanging the money afterwards.

According to a spokesman, Germany's largest importer of Russian natural gas, the energy group Uniper, is examining the possibility of paying for Russian natural gas in euros to an account in Russia.

Uniper believes that there could be a solution to the question of how the funds could then be converted into rubles: "But there is still no final solution."

Putin stops gas delivery: According to Chancellor Scholz, Germany is prepared

+++ 5:15 p.m .:

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) commented on the gas supply stop from Russia: You have to prepare for it, even if it is not yet clear whether Germany will no longer get gas from Russia, reports the dpa .

"One can only speculate whether and what decision the Russian government will make in this regard, but it makes little sense," said the Chancellor, who is currently in Tokyo, Japan.

The federal government had already begun preparations in the event of a delivery stop before the war in Ukraine broke out.

The federal government is still heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies, but wants to switch to other sources of supply as quickly as possible.

Gas delivery: Russia doubles its income despite the Ukraine war

+++ 4:00 p.m .:

Despite talks about an energy embargo against Russia, fossil fuels worth 63 billion euros have been exported from Russia since the start of the Ukraine war, 71 percent of them to the EU.

This is reported by the Finnish research organization Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Russia has even doubled its profits, they say.

Germany is the leader in gas imports with 9.6 billion euros.

Russian oil deliveries to the EU, on the other hand, fell by 20 percent and coal by 40 percent.

Russia made a profit with liquid gas: 20 percent more gas was delivered to the EU.

Gas delivery from Russia stopped: Discussion about supply in Germany

+++ 3:30 p.m .:

 The cessation of Russian gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria has so far had no impact on the security of supply in Germany, reports the German Press Agency (dpa).

The Federal Network Agency emphasized this in its daily report on the gas supply situation in Germany.

The gas inflows to Germany are at a normal level.

After the gas supply stop from Russia, the supply situation in Poland and Bulgaria is also stable, both countries are currently using other sources of supply.

"Both countries are not calling for an early warning level (as part of the gas emergency plan), which also currently speaks for a secure supply situation."

Putin stops gas delivery - German company still sticks to Russia projects

+++ 2:30 p.m .:

The German gas and oil company Wintershall Dea wants to stick to its existing projects in Russia despite the Ukraine conflict.

However, there would be no more new projects, reports the AFP news agency.

According to Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall Dea, a withdrawal from the Russian market would be irresponsible at the moment: Then “assets in the billions would go to the Russian state”.

However, Mehren also emphasized that an "era is coming to an end" and that a return to the usual business relationship with Russia is no longer possible.

Wintershall Dea recorded a loss of around one billion euros in the first quarter.

In particular, the write-off of the financing for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline caused the gas and oil company to go into the red.

"Germany is absolutely dependent on energy imports," emphasizes Mehren and warns of an energy embargo against Russia because of the Ukraine war.

Gas from Russia: Putin wants rubles – four EU countries are said to have already paid

+++ 12.00 p.m .:

According to a person close to the Russian company Gazprom, four European gas buyers have already paid for deliveries in rubles, as President Vladimir Putin had requested.

This is reported by the Bloomberg news agency.

Even if the other buyers reject the Kremlin's terms, after stopping gas flows to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday, further disruptions are not likely until the second half of May, when the next payments are due, the person said on condition of anonymity.

Ten European companies have already opened the accounts with Gazprombank needed to meet Russia's payment requirements, the person said, according to the Bloomberg report.

Russia threatens EU with further delivery stops

First report from Thursday, April 28, 9 a.m.:

Moscow – The energy dispute between Russia and the West has reached a new high with the gas stop in Poland and Bulgaria.

On Wednesday (April 27) Vladimir Putin suspended gas supplies to Eastern European countries.

The pressure on Germany to become independent of energy from Russia as quickly as possible is also growing.

Moscow justified the gas export ban by saying that Poland and Bulgaria had not complied with Russia's payment demands.

Putin had demanded gas payments in rubles from Western countries.

However, many observers interpret the measure as a warning shot to Germany.

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck met his counterpart from Poland the day before the gas ban to talk about alternative import options for oil.

Habeck then announced that he expected Germany to be independent of oil from Russia in a few days.

Since the start of the Ukraine war, Germany has reduced oil imports from Russia from 35 to 12 percent.

"Signal to Germany" in the Ukraine war: Russia stops gas imports to Poland and Bulgaria

While the discussion in Germany is mainly about gas, oil exports are much more important for Russia, said the FDP politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff on Deutschlandfunk.

"I believe that with this announcement against Poland, they really wanted to send a signal to Germany and other EU member states," he concluded.

At the same time, concerns are growing that Putin could also turn off the gas supply to Germany.

The President of Russia has repeatedly threatened the West with this step, citing the demand for payments in rubles.

In the course of the delivery stop to Poland and Bulgaria, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov made it clear that deliveries to countries that do not adopt the new payment system will be stopped.

Source: OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin 2020

Individual deputies and senators in Russia had already called for a complete cessation of energy supplies to the West in order to stop "heating" the "unfriendly states".

Peskov now said that Russia would prefer to hear constructive proposals from the EU on how future relations could be shaped using political-diplomatic methods.

"We are currently seeing statements from the head of EU diplomacy that everything should be decided on the battlefield," Peskov said, referring to Ukraine.

(vbu/ter with dpa/AFP)