EMEA News
Russian Court Rules in Favour of Bunker Suppliers to Allow Offshore Bunkering
A Russian appeals court has ruled in favour of bunker suppliers, allowing greater freedom for offshore bunkering operations at the nation's seaports, Portnews reports.
The Arbitration Court of Appeal upheld a lower court's decision invalidating an order by the Central Energy Customs (CEC) of Federal Customs Service (FCS) that effectively banned offshore bunkering.
CEC Chief Pavel Strelnikov made the order on August 22, 2013, calling for bunker operations to be conducted only at dedicated terminals, which meant bunker fuel could not be supplied to vessels at offshore anchorage.
With the appeals court's dismissal of a CEC appeal, the lower court's ruling now comes into effect.
The Russian Association of Marine and River Bunker Suppliers said in September that the ban was illegal and would sharply reduce calls to Russian ports, and the country's Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) weighed in this February, calling for a reversal of the CEC rule.
