Sanctioned goods and uranium: The Atlantic Navigator II detainment

The container ship Atlantic Navigator II, which was sailing from Petersburg to the United States, was detained by customs services in the port of Rostock, according to German media. The reason is the transportation of goods on the EU sanctions list.

According to the original plan, the ship was not supposed to stop in Germany, but it was necessary due to an engine failure. As reported by the welt.de website, the vessel docked in Rostock at the beginning of March, and the ship's cargo, like all goods imported into the EU, was under customs supervision.

"Due to the goods on board covered by European Union sanctions, the ship was ordered to be detained by customs authorities. As a result, leaving the port is prohibited," the service reports, quoting a statement from the Port and Navigation Office in Rostock.

The local newspaper Ostsee-Zeitung reported that the ship was carrying, among other things, birch plywood and enriched uranium used in American power plants from Russia to the United States. This is the result of journalist findings, confirmed by several sources.

The Rostock prosecutor's office confirmed on Tuesday to the NDR station that the ship was carrying birch plywood from Russia. Wood is on the list of European Union sanctions, but uranium is not. However, the United States imports both of these goods.

In response to NDR's questions, the port office in Rostock confirmed that the damage to the propeller screw on the Atlantic Navigator II has already been repaired. However, the customs investigation is still ongoing. Due to the ongoing investigation, the services refused to answer what would happen to the goods covered by sanctions.