He returned to sea after almost a month at the quay. Blocked since March 2 in the port of Lorient due to European sanctions taken against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, the ship Ariake pattern has just been authorized to leave, we learned from the shipowner’s lawyer. The cargo ship, which flies the Panamanian flag but belongs to the Russian company GTLK, left the Breton port for Norway on Monday shortly before 5 p.m., according to the site Marine Traffic.
Arrived on February 27 in the port of Lorient, the cargo ship Ariake pattern was able to deliver its cargo of sunflower meal intended for animal feed but was forced by customs to remain at the quay. The court, seized in summary proceedings, ordered this Monday the release of the seizure and sentenced the customs administration to 100,000 euros in damages as a provision for the damage suffered, according to the lawyer for the shipowner of the cargo ship. Bertrand Coste. “The judgment is binding, so the boat can leave whenever it wants,” said Maître Coste. Contacted, the regional customs directorate announced its intention to appeal the court’s decision.
An oligarch targeted by customs
“This is the second time that the court has ordered the release after a first decision rendered on March 18. As the customs sealed the ship, I reassigned in summary, clarified the lawyer. “The person targeted by the sanctions could not be linked to the owner of this ship”, added Me Coste, considering this second decision “without surprise” but “not easy to take given the context”.
According to him, customs were targeting Vitali Saveliev, the current Russian Minister of Transport and ex-CEO of Aeroflot, who has been on the list of Russian personalities targeted by European sanctions since February 28. According to the Russian agency Interfax, Vitali Saveliev resigned at the beginning of March from his position as chairman of the board of directors of GTLK.