Russia makes € 7 billions from fish sales through Dutch ports, envoy says

The Honorary Consul of Ukraine in the Netherlands, Karel Burger Dirven, revealed to Ukrinform that Russia earns €7 billion annually from fish sales, with €1.5 billion flowing through the Netherlands, calling for stronger sanctions against Russia’s fishing industry.

This month, the EU introduced its 15th sanctions package against Russia since 2022, responding to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Numerous politicians and public figures urge stricter sanctions to cripple Russia’s economic capacity to sustain its war in Ukraine.

According to Dirven, who also serves as an EBRD advisor, while existing sanctions are showing effects, certain key sectors of Russian industry remain relatively unaffected. He told Ukrinform that Russian fishing vessels were previously banned from ports near Amsterdam due to espionage concerns.

The consul disclosed that Russian company Norebo has adapted by using Norwegian-flagged vessels with Russian crews to access the port of Velsen.

“The fishing vessels transporting fish from Murmansk to Velsen for Norebo are using Norwegian ships, but with a Russian crew,” Dirven said to Ukrinform.

Regulatory oversight remains a significant concern. According to the Honorary Consul, Dutch and Norwegian journalists have discovered violations of European fishing quotas and size regulations by Russian vessels. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) claims limited capacity for thorough inspections and cites the absence of white fish from sanctions lists as a constraint.

Dutch parliamentarians have begun addressing these concerns, with Dirven advocating for comprehensive measures including “100% inspections of Russian fish imports, to add Russian white fish to the EU sanctions list, to add Norebo to the EU and US sanctions lists, and to deny Russian sailors access to Dutch ports due to the risks of espionage and sabotage.”

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