Overview of Crimean Maritime Sanctions Violations in February 2017
The Maidan Foreign Affairs Monitoring Group and BSNews have continued to publish monthly monitoring results of violations by Ukrainian and international maritime vessels of sanctions against the occupied Crimea. According to the latest report, a total of 74 sea ships violated the sanctions in February 2017, with 46 vessels actively operating and 28 laid up or under repair.
Details of Violating Vessels
The majority of the offending vessels, 62, belong to companies from the Russian Federation, accounting for 83.8% of the violators. Seven ships are owned by Turkish companies, making up 9.5% of the total, while four vessels belong to Romanian companies, comprising 5.4%. One ship is registered in Egypt, representing 1.3%.
The report highlights that three Turkish ships are listed on the US financial intelligence Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Syrian blacklist. The monitoring group notes that these vessels have entered the occupied Crimea despite being subject to international sanctions.
Analysis of Vessel Operations
In February 2017, half of the active vessels, or 22, were permanently based in Crimean ports, with most of them being ferries. Additionally, 24 vessels entered the peninsula during this period. The majority of the violators, 78.4%, fly the Russian flag, indicating a significant presence of Russian-owned and operated ships in the region.
The investigation into the owners and operators of the offending ships reveals that while the flags of 10 countries are represented among the violators, the shipowners and operators come from only four states: Russia, Turkey, Romania, and Egypt. This disparity highlights the complexity of the situation and the need for continued monitoring to ensure compliance with international sanctions.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The report provides a comprehensive overview of the vessels that have violated the Crimean maritime sanctions in February 2017, including their technical data, owner/operator information, and dates of calls at Crimean ports. The database update includes highlighted information on the vessels’ previous calls at Crimean ports in 2016 and new vessels that entered the database in January 2017.
Original Article: Violations of the Crimean maritime sanctions in February 2017: Russia, Turkey, Romania, Egypt — Blackseanews