US bans Russian ships from its ports

US President Joe Biden has banned Russian-linked ships from entering American ports, he said during press conference at the White House.

Earlier, a similar decision was made in the European Union. Ports of all EU countries have been closed for Russian vessels since April 18, 2022, after the new EU directive come into force.

The ban will apply to all vessels registered under the Russian flag. However, ships that change the Russian flag to another after February 24 are also under the sanctions and cannot operate in EU ports.

The decision will not apply to ships that have issued an SOS alert (Mayday). The decisions in such cases to be made individually.

However, Russia recommends the same. In March, the Russian Ministry of Transport sent a letter to Russian seaports recommending captains of Russian-flagged vessels and captains of foreign-flagged vessels owned by Russian residents to avoid entering the territorial waters and seaports of the UK, Canada, EU and other countries that have joined the sanctions against Russia.