China refuses to repair Russian ship because of US sanctions
A ship repair company in Shanghai refused to meet its contractual obligations to repair the Neptun for the Russia-based Gudzon shipping company, whose ships have already experienced sanctions-related issues in South Korea. As Gudzon director Gennady Kononenko told TASS on Wednesday, the Chinese company refused to perform the repairs because Gudzon’s ships are on the US’s North Korea sanctions list.
“We have a ship, the Neptun, which is in Shanghai for repairs. Today I am already in Shanghai myself, because last week I was told that the ship repair factory is refusing to carry out repairs and is demanding contractual payment, all due to sanctions. At the time. I didn’t believe it, but after arriving there today, I can confirm that this is exactly what is happening. The Neptun’s repairs are not happening, the factory wants to put the ship back in the water,” Kononenko told TASS.
Gudzon has already asked the Russian embassy in China for assistance.
In August, the US Treasury Department announced that it was expanding the North Korea sanctions list. The new additions to the list included the Russia-based Gudzon shipping company. The US government believes that the company’s ships have been involved in transferring “oil products to ships flying the North Korean flag, as well as activities prohibited by the UN Security Council”. On September 29, the Sevastopol, a ship belonging to Gudzon, was detained in the South Korean Port of Busan, although it was subsequently released on October 2 without any official explanation.
Later, four South Korean shipping agents refused to register Gudzon’s ships’ travel list in their registration system, citing sanctions and a local blacklist. At the time, the Bogatyr was already heading for the Port of Pohang. After intervention by Russian diplomats, a shipping agent let the Bogatyr into port.