Already today, it was explained during Minister Van Quickenborne’s visit, some ships belonging to the Russian shipowners’ company Sovcomflot are being refused access to ports. Concretely, it is refused to assign a pilot to guide the ship in the port or a berth to the ships concerned.
A new Maritime Safety Bill is expected to expand the MIK’s powers to officially deny ships access to ports.
With regard to Russian vessels, the fear is that they will quickly register under a new flag following European sanctions, which is possible in a very short time, under maritime law. However, the Belgian authorities believe that the MIK has the necessary tools to detect these possible changes and act accordingly, if the European sanctions require it.
