Italy detains vessel carrying metal for suspected Russia sanctions violations
Editor's note: This item has been updated to clarify that the amount of seized ferrous metal was 33,000 tons.
Italian financial police detained a vessel arriving from Russian territorial waters of the Black Sea at the port of Brindisi on Jan. 17 on suspicion of violating EU sanctions against Russia, the agency said.
The seizure relates to restrictive measures adopted after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. The Brindisi Court approved the seizure of both the vessel and its cargo, which included 33,000 tons of ferrous metal.
According to Italian law enforcement, inspections uncovered "serious irregularities" in the ship's onboard documentation, as well as attempts to evade tracking systems. Authorities said the findings pointed to loading operations carried out at a Russian port subject to EU sanctions.
Analysis of data from the vessel's electronic chart display and information system showed that the ship was present in the port of Novorossiysk between Nov. 13 and 16, 2025, where it allegedly conducted prohibited loading activities, Italian outlet Quotidiano di Puglia reported.
Investigators also found that the vessel's automatic identification system had been switched off near Novorossiysk, apparently to avoid geolocation and oversight by authorities.
Four people are under investigation in the case — an importer, the shipowner, and two crew members — on suspicion of jointly breaching EU restrictive measures.
EU Regulation 833/2014 imposes wide-ranging sanctions on Russia over its actions destabilizing Ukraine, including strict limits on the import and purchase of iron and steel products originating in or exported from Russia.
Moscow has increasingly relied on a so-called shadow fleet of vessels operating outside standard maritime oversight to move oil and other goods abroad and circumvent Western sanctions.
European governments have signaled tougher measures in recent months to curb such practices.
