On Monday this week, news was able to report that the Norwegian shipping company Champion Tankers transports cooking oil from Russia to Asia. The business is not covered by international sanctions, but the Ukrainian authorities believe the trade is highly unethical, and say that the money the Russians earn from this helps finance Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine. In addition, they believe that it cannot be ruled out that the sunflowers used to make the oil come from the occupied territories of Ukraine. – It is very difficult to control because many products come from the Crimean peninsula, and the Russians do not allow international observers into the area to see what is actually going on, says Honcharevych. The shipping company denies that they are doing something that is ethically questionable, and says that they are following the UN and EU sanctions regulations and the UN’s desire to get food out into the world. They also deny that the cooking oil originates in Ukraine, it is carefully controlled, according to the shipping company. The shipping company also denies that the business benefits Vladimir Putin or his war of aggression. But we help provide the world with food, says the shipping company. Norskeide Champion Ebony transports sunflower oil from Russia to markets in Asia. Photo: Marcel Coster Was the world’s largest producer The sunflower, which is Ukraine’s national flower, is grown in large parts of the country, including in the occupied territories. Before the war broke out last February, Ukraine was the world’s largest producer of sunflower oil. – We strongly suspect that this sunflower oil comes from the temporarily occupied areas, says the acting ambassador to Norway. She goes on to say that they will launch their own investigations to see if the shipment of sunflower oil from Taman could be a breach of current sanctions. – We have partners, also Norwegian, who do research. Therefore, we will investigate the business. We encourage all companies to see who they work with. And while this is not illegal right now, it is unethical. Checking suppliers General manager of Champion Tankers, Karl L. Kvalheim, says that they carry out a thorough check of all aspects of the business. Photo: Paul André Sommerfeldt / news General manager of Champion Tankers, Karl L. Kvalheim, informs news that they carry out a thorough check of all parts of the business, including the suppliers, to see if anyone is on the sanctions lists. He does not want to be interviewed about the case, but writes in an e-mail that the “Cargo manifest” indicates the supplier and the origin of the cargo, and that it is checked that neither the cargo nor anyone involved is covered by the sanctions. – This must also be done to have insurance on the boat. If any sanctioned persons were involved, it would not have been possible either to get insurance or to receive shipping through the bank, writes Kvalheim. The chairman points out that the business is not affected by the current sanctions rules and writes that if shipping of this type of cargo is stopped, it will make food supplies in the world more difficult. – We support Ukraine in their defense of their own country, but the world must still produce food, otherwise this tragedy will become even greater and affect many more people, he writes. Champion Ebony arrived at the Russian port of Taman on August 7 this year. Photo: Google Maps 42 port calls Champion Tankers has transported cooking oil out of Russia 12 times since the war started. This is between 30,000 and 37,000 metric tonnes of sunflower and soybean oil. In addition, the shipping company transports liquid fertilizer out of Russia. All in all, Champion tankers have had 42 port calls in Russia since 24 February last year. – If we are unethical, the UN/USA/EU and the Norwegian authorities are similarly unethical, writes Kvalheim. He believes it must be up to them to decide what the shipping company can and cannot do. – There is a clearly expressed desire from them to keep the food chain out of the sanctions. On the contrary, the actors are encouraged to continue to keep deliveries up for the sake of food production. We relate to that, writes Kvalheim in his answer to news. Up to the shipping company The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs news that the import and export of palm oil or sunflower oil is not regulated in the sanctions regulations. – For companies that conduct trade in or with Russia, measures must be implemented to ensure that the sanctions regulations are complied with, such as that assets are not made available to listed persons and companies. – It is up to the individual actor to decide for themselves how they want to expose their business to Russia, as long as it happens within the framework of the current sanctions regulations, says communications advisor Henrik Hoel.
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