Two ships flying the Polish flag may be subject to sanctions against Nord Stream - 2
The ships Krebs Geo and Krebs Jet are owned by a German ship owner, but registered with the Gdansk Maritime Chamber. According to Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Poland Grzegorz Witkowski, the documents of these vessels have been declared invalid and they will be considered as objects that violate the sanctions imposed against the Nord Stream 2 project.
“We decided to start the procedure for deregistering them under the Polish flag. So Poland has nothing to do with these two units ", - said Witkowski. The Deputy Minister stressed that no ship flying the flag of Poland should infringe on the economic interests of the Polish state.
“We are not interested in what they transport, what they do, as long as it does not threaten the economic interests of our country. And these two vessels have recently stepped up their work on the Nord Stream 2 project. From Friday, these two vessels should not appear in our waters. Otherwise, we reserve the right to detain them for verification, ”the deputy minister said.
Earlier it was reported that the Austrian integrated oil and gas company OMV became Gazprom's last financial partner in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which stopped payments due to concerns about US sanctions.
In early 2021, the United States extended sanctions against Nord Stream 2. The restrictions also included companies providing the project with certification, modernization, modification or retrofitting services for ships involved in the construction. The Russian and European authorities, for their part, accused Washington of trying to impose its more expensive liquefied gas on the EU.