Norway restricts access of Russian fishing boats to its ports

OSLO (Reuters) – Norway said on Thursday it would limit the access of Russian fishing boats to its ports, tightening its security measures after the sabotage of Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

Russian trawlers will only be able to dock in three Norwegian ports and will have to undergo security checks to do so, the Foreign Minister said during a press conference.

Anniken Huitfeldt did not want to pronounce the total closure of Norwegian ports to Russian ships, demanded by some opponents, arguing that the shared management of fisheries resources requires maintaining contact with Moscow.

Russian trawlers often land their catch in Norwegian ports, which also benefits the local economy. Oslo exempted them from the sanctions imposed on the Russian commercial navy after the invasion of Ukraine.

(Report by Terje Solsvik, French version Tangi Salaün, edited by Bertrand Boucey)