Russian occupiers want to “nationalise” ships left in Mariupol port: metal being removed

TUESDAY, 31 MAY 2022, 10:43 AM – OLEKSII PAVLYSH

The occupying Russian forces have announced the "nationalisation" (or the de facto hijacking) of 34 vessels docked in the port of Mariupol.

Petro Andriushchenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, posted this on Telegram.

"The Russian RM3 vessel was loaded with 2,500 tonnes of coiled steel, and then headed for the port of Rostov-on-Don.

In addition, the occupiers have already announced the ‘nationalisation’ or de facto theft of the 34 vessels remaining in the port. The process of renaming them and changing their flags has already begun", Andriushchenko added.

At the same time, the Russian state-owned news agency TASS reported that the Slavutych-type vessel had left Mariupol with a cargo of metal.

Concurrently, the so-called "head" of the so-called DPR [Donetsk People’s Republic] Denys Pushylin said that his illegally-formed entity would have "its own commercial port on account of the nationalised ships from the port of Mariupol".

"A number of vessels will be transferred to the jurisdiction of the ‘DPR’, the relevant decisions have already been made, and the flags these vessels will bear have also been specified. These vessels will be renamed", Pushylin said.

Earlier, the director of the Mariupol Commercial Sea Port state enterprise, Ihor Barskiy, said in a commentary to Ekonomichna Pravda that as of 23 February, there were about 200,000 tonnes of metal and pig iron worth up to USD 170 million at the port. The occupiers intend to steal it.