A loophole allows foreign ships carrying Russian oil to be transported to the UK — but workers refused to unload goods from a ship last week

The UK government introduced a ban on Russian ships last week, but it doesn't cover cargo. According to the Guardian, several ships carrying Russian gas or oil have been allowed to dock in the UK because of the loophole.

On Sunday, a German-flagged ship carrying Russian oil hit a hold-up when workers in the UK refused to unload it.

Seacod was forced to continue on its journey after workers at the refinery refused to let the ship in. The Stanlow oil refinery is owned by India's Essar Group.

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The Unite union, which represents the Stanlow workers, told Essar on Friday that its members would not unload any Russian oil regardless of the nationality of the vessel which delivers it.

The loophole should be closed immediately by the UK government, according to the union's general secretary.

—Sharon Graham (@UniteSharon) March 5, 2022

The vessel set sail before the invasion of Ukraine and the introduction of UK government sanctions, according to the company.

In a statement, the company said that it is fully complying with the statutory framework implemented by the UK government with regards to Russia-related entities.

The company said that last week, it turned away two cargoes of non-Russian oil that would have been delivered in Russian-flagged tanker.

For a number of days, we have been working to find alternative sources of diesel while simultaneously ensuring the supply of fuel to the North West of England.

Europe is trying to move away from its dependence on Russian energy sources.

The government is exploring options to further reduce the amount of imports we get from Russia, and continues to urge Europe to put in place plans to end their dependence on Russian gas.

The transition would be difficult.

If the EU imposed sanctions on Russian gas, it would be difficult to build gas inventories for next winter, according to analysts at Wood Mackenzie.

The prices would go up. It would be necessary for industries to shut down. Inflation would go up. The analysts said in a note on February 25 that the European energy crisis would cause a global recession.