Fertilizers have a connection to a banned person.
State Department has granted an exception permit on Wednesday for the Russian fertilizer transport, which has been stopped at the port of Kotka in Kymenlaakso.
The fertilizers are under the control of the embargoed person and therefore the transport has been stopped.
The basis for granting the exemption permit is export to a third country in order to promote global food security, the ministry says in its press release.
The ministry estimates that the loaded ship can leave the port of Kotka in the next few days or within a week at the latest.
Enforcement agency had confiscated the fertilizers loaded on the ship in the port of Kotka on March 9th. At the time, the fertilizers were suspected to be under the control of a banned person.
The connection between the fertilizers transported through Finland and the embargoed person was confirmed by an official investigation.
EU sanction regulations do not prevent the import of fertilizers from Russia to the European Union or transit through the Union. In other words, no restrictions have been placed on the import or transit of fertilizers, with the exception of potash, the ministry says in a press release.
However, in accordance with the personal sanctions imposed by the EU on Russia, the assets and financial resources owned or controlled by the sanctioned operator must be frozen in the member country. In the case of fertilizers, these funds can be exempted from freezing with a waiver and thus allow transit through the Union.
An exemption permit can be granted if the export takes place to a third country in order to promote global food security.
State Department considers it important that the export of fertilizers, especially to developing countries, is as free as possible to ensure global food security.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs received the fertilizer buyer’s exemption application on March 19. The ministry granted an exemption on March 22.
The condition of the granted permit is that the fertilizers go to a third country in order to promote food security. This has been tried to be ensured with the special conditions included in the exemption permit, which are related to confirming the destination of the products.
The enforcement team puller Pia Sarivaara from the international law unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the destination of the fertilizer cargo is either El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala or Colombia.
“The cargo buyer must inform us when the cargo has arrived at its destination and has been unloaded.”
The fertilizer ship in Kotka harbor is called Smew.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not disclose the name of the person subject to sanctions at this stage, Sarivaara states.
When processing the license application, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in contact with the European Commission as required by EU sanctions regulations.
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