Transport secretary asks UK ports to ban Russian vessels

Transport secretary Grant Shapps announced this afternoon that he had asked all UK ports to refuse access to Russian vessels.

A Russian-owned oil tanker, the NS Champion, had been due to dock in Orkney later this week.

“Today I’ve written to all UK ports asking them not to provide access to any Russian flagged, registered, owned, controlled, chartered or operated vessels,” he said via Twitter, going on: “Given Putin’s action in #Ukraine I’ve made clear these vessels are NOT welcome here with prohibiting legislation to follow.”