German Prosecutors Probe Ship for Possible Russian Sanctions Breach

A cargo ship leaving Russia that made an unscheduled stop at the German port of Rostock is under investigation there for carrying cargo in possible breach of sanctions, German authorities said on Wednesday.

The Atlantic Navigator II, managed by Canada-based CSAL and sailing under the Marshall Islands flag, has been detained by German customs. On board are 251 containers of birch wood, which is subject to EU sanctions against Russia, prosecutors said.

"Investigations are under way against the captain of the freighter on initial suspicion of a violation of the Foreign Trade and Payments Act," a spokeswoman for the Rostock public prosecutor's office told Reuters.

The Ostsee Zeitung newspaper this week reported that the vessel also has enriched uranium, exempted from EU and US sanctions, in its cargo, which was destined for the United States.

The vessel has been held in Rostock since March 4, after leaving St Petersburg on Feb. 7, according to LSEG data.

The ship had to make an unscheduled stop in the eastern German port due to propeller damage, city authorities said.

CSAL was not immediately available for comment.

Both the city and customs authorities confirmed that the freighter had been in the port since the beginning of March and that it was being investigated for a possible breach of sanctions.

Both the Rostock port authority and the customs office declined to confirm whether there was uranium, used in nuclear power plants, was onboard.

Uranium is currently exempted from EU and US sanctions imposed on Russia. Wood imports are sanctioned under the EU regulations but not in the United States.

(Reuters - Reporting by Markus Wacket and Miranda Murray, writing by Andrey Sychev, editing by Rachel More and Nick Macfie)