WALLENIUS Wilhelmsen announced it would suspend operations to both Russia and Belarus in reaction to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen acting CEO and CFO Torbjørn Wist said: “The invasion of Ukraine is a tragedy. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the people of Ukraine and our thoughts are with the millions of innocent people directly affected.
“Our main concern is the safety and well-being of our employees and partners. We have employees in Russia and partners in Ukraine.”
Wallenius Wilhelmsen said, as a global company, it adheres to international sanctions.
“We are a Norwegian company, we follow the rules and sanctions imposed by the Norwegian authorities,” Mr Wist said.
The company discontinued services into Russia on 24 February and stopped taking cargo bookings at the same time.
Cargo on the water heading for Russia was re-routed to alternative ports. Future cargo bookings into the region have been delayed or are cancelled.
“We have now decided to formally suspend our operations until further notice,” the company said.
