Tankers carrying Russian natural gas to the UK are diverted as British dockworkers refuse to handle the cargo, reports say

Tankers carrying Russian natural gas to the UK are diverted as British dockworkers refuse to handle the cargo, reports say

British dockworkers have prevented two tankers carrying Russian natural gas from offloading their cargo in the UK in a protest again Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to reports. Dockworkers at the Isle of Grain liquefied natural gas terminal in southeast England had insisted that they would not unload cargoes from Russia, The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday. On Thursday, the paper that the LNG tanker Boris Vilkitsky – which was scheduled to tie up at the terminal on Friday – had been diverted. A second vessel, the Fedor Litke, has also been diverted, the . Both vessels are sailing under the Cyprus flag, it said. Speaking ahead of the ships' diversions, Matt Lay, the national officer for energy at the union representing the Isle of Grain workers, Unison, : "The workers at the National Grid terminal don't want to touch the cargo given the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine." "These staff are determined to show their support for the Ukrainian people and uphold the sanctions imposed against Russia," he added. The UK government on March 1 banned vessels with any Russian connection from docking in the UK, as part of a package of responses to Moscow's decision to send troops into Ukraine.