UK bans all ships with Russian links from British ports

“We’ve just become the first nation to pass a law involving a total ban of all ships with any Russian connection whatsoever from entering British ports,” Shapps said.

The decision came a day after Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, urged Shapps to block a Russian tanker from docking in the Orkney Islands, where the ship was due to arrive Tuesday.

The NS Champion is owned by Sovcomflot, a Russian state-owned company that specialises in the transportation of oil, oil products and liquefied natural gas.

Western countries have imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russian companies, wealthy individuals and even Putin in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. Sovcomflot, the Russian state-owned company that owns NS Champion, hasn’t been sanctioned by the UK.