Norway to close ports to Russian ships, except trawlers

The Norwegian government stated Friday that, with the exception of trawlers, it will follow the European Union’s lead and block its ports to Russian ships.

though the Nordic country is not a member of the European Union, it has ratified practically all of the EU’s sanctions against Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine on February 24, frequently with a minor delay.

Norway announced on Friday that it would apply the fifth round of penalties agreed upon by the EU’s 27 members three weeks ago, on April 7.

This includes a ban, with some exceptions, on transporting goods by road from Russia, with which Norway shares an Arctic border, via the Storskog crossing point between the two countries.

The ban on Russian-flagged ships calling at Norwegian ports will come into force on May 7 and will not affect fishing vessels, many of which land their catches on the Norwegian mainland or the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

The Arctic archipelago is governed by a century-old treaty that allows all signatory states, including Russia, to take part in economic activities there on an equal footing.

“Sanctions are our main means of pressure against the Russian regime,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt.

“It is crucial here that we stand with the EU and other countries to continue to weaken Russia’s ability to finance the war in Ukraine,” she added.

Norway and Russia have agreed on catch quotas for many species in the Barents Sea, which is home to a valuable cod resource, since 1976, under an agreement struck at the height of the Cold War.

An exception granted to fishing vessels, according to Oslo, is in line with EU sanctions.