Seven Russian tankers head back home after British dock workers REFUSED to unload them

Tankers carrying Russian oil, liquified gas and diesel have been sent packing back to the Arctic by British dockers who refused to unload them because of the war in Ukraine as the West waged an energy war with Putin that is costing Britons more every day.

MailOnline has tracked seven ships all turned away from the UK in the past week including several trying to use a loophole meaning they weren’t technically covered by sanctions.

Dockers at the Isle of Grain in Kent, Milford Haven in Wales, Ellesmere Port on Merseyside and on the Isle of Orkney all refused to unload the fuel being sold by Putin’s Russia to help pay for his invasion.

Instead the ships, some owned by Russian shipping companies and all carrying Russian fossil fuels, were diverted to ports in France, Belgium and Holland to unload. Two tankers are yet to find a port who will have them as the West’s sanctions starts to bite.

Ukraine war: The latest

US intelligence chiefs say they fear Putin is angry and frustrated and may resort to using small tactical nuclear weapons to force Ukraine into submission
They said it remains unclear whether Putin has decided to take Ukraine whatever the cost, or whether there remains capacity for a ceasefire
McDonald’s, Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Pepsi became the latest companies to pull out of Russia
Russia refloats plans to open humanitarian corridors. Kyiv calls the proposal a publicity stunt
Ukrainian servicemen and fleeing residents describe ferocious fighting on Kyiv’s northwestern edge, including hand-to-hand combat
18 people, including two children, died in an air strike on the city of Sumy
Russia steps up its shelling of Gostomel near Kyiv, Kharkiv in the east, Sumy in the northeast, Chernihiv in the north and Mykolayiv in the southwest
Tens of thousands are still trapped without water or power in the southern port of Mariupol after two failed evacuation attempts
Nearly all of Russia’s 150,000 combat troops arrayed on Ukraine’s border have now entered the country
The International Atomic Energy Agency receives reports of artillery shells damaging a nuclear research facility in Ukraine’s besieged second city Kharkiv
White House says there is no agreement with European allies on a blanket ban on oil and gas imports
The World Bank approves an additional $489million package for Ukraine, made available immediately
Russia says it will allow Russian companies and individuals to repay debts to creditors in ‘hostile’ nations in rubles
US-based Morgan Stanley says a Russian default on sovereign debts will come as soon as next month
Russian President Vladimir Putin says once more he is not sending conscripts or reservists to fight
Kyiv’s presidential advisor says talks with Russia brought some ‘positive results’, while Moscow’s lead negotiator said aims were ‘not fulfilled’
Turkey announces it will host Russia’s and Ukraine’s foreign ministers for talks on Thursday.
Foreign footballers and coaches working in Russia and Ukraine will be allowed to temporarily suspend their contracts and move elsewhere, FIFA announces
The UN says 2 million people have fled Ukraine, making it the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II

The EU relies on Russia for approaching half of its gas – much more than the UK – but today declared it would be slashing its use by two-thirds by the end of the year.

The Prime Minister is said to considering using more oil and gas from domestic British sources, especially in the North Sea while his Government is said to be looking at opening up the first new round of exploration licences since 2019.

Two UK fracking sites have been granted a stay of execution, it was reported last night, amid a Tory rebellion over the government’s continued ban. Ministers will reportedly consider using them for future research rather than concrete them up.

Last night Britain joined the US in boycotting oil that is believed to be earning the Kremlin $100billion-a-month and used to help fund the $15billion-a-day invasion of Ukraine. With the price of a barrel of oil now up to around $125 – up $25 in less than a fortnight – it is making even more money for Putin.

Today the RAC Foundation has warned petrol prices could rise to an average of £1.60 a litre this week in the UK and £1.65 soon – but some petrol stations are already charging £1.89 a litre with £2 expected in days. Queues have started forming at cheaper forecourts as experts predicted a rise of 5p per day this week.

Experts believe that the Russian oil, gas and diesel turned away from Britain could still end up in the UK because it could be put on a new ship or pumped under the Channel.

Laura Page, a LNG [liquefied natural gas] analyst at trade Kpler, a firm that tracks energy shipping, told MailOnline: ‘The LNG has been put into storage at the import terminals. Once the LNG is in storage, it is impossible to track the molecules, but there are two options: The LNG can be regasified and sent out to the grid. Under this scenario, there is the potential for the gas to be shipped via pipeline to the UK.

‘Alternatively, the LNG can be reloaded onto a non Russian linked vessel and shipped to the UK. There is no ban on Russian molecules at the moment, only the vessels itself’.

The price at the pumps is expected to rise after tankers, some carrying Russian diesel, were turned away from UK docks.

But Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said he believes that Briton will think it is a price worth paying, adding: ‘We need to stem the flow of Putin’s gas and oil blood money from funding his war machine so I think it’s right to cut off their oil’.

As the West tries to wean itself off Russia’s oil and gas after years of warnings, it also emerged today:

Four British soldiers including a teenager paid to protect the Queen are feared to have gone AWOL to fight Vladimir Putin’s invading forces after booking one-way tickets to Ukraine;
Britain has backed the US in blocking Polish plan to hand Ukraine fighter jets because it would risk putting Nato at war with nuclear-armed Russia;
EU says it has enough gas to be independent of Russia until the ‘end of winter’ – less than two weeks – as Moscow warns it will hit the West with a painful response to sanctions;
In Ukraine, Russia’s invasion continues to slow but they have encircled the major cities including Kyiv. Troops stranded in the 40-mile long convoy of tanks and armoured vehicles stalled on the outskirts of the capital fear freezing to death in their vehicles this week as temperatures are set to plunge to between -10C and -20C.
British property developer Nick Candy is working on a £2.5billion bid for Chelsea, which includes plans for a £1.5bn rebuild of Stamford Bridge, to be submitted by the end of the week, as oligarchs continue to offload their assets;

Cyprus-flagged tankers Boris Vilkitsky and Fedor Litke were last week diverted from the Isle of Grain, the largest terminal in Europe for importing liquefied natural gas.

The Fedor Litke was forced to go to Belgium to unload on March 6 and is heading back to Yamal, Russia. Boris Vilkitsky diverted from Isle of Grain to western France on March 4 and is wow heading back to the Arctic.

Two other ships due in Kent at the end of February were also diverted. The Christophe de Margerie forced to unload at Rotterdam on March 6 and is back off to Russia. The Boris Davydov was diverted to Dunkirk and now heading back to Yamal.

Oil tanker Seacod, which sails under a German flag, left Primorsk on February 22 and arrived in Merseyside on March 3. Dockers refused to unload it and it moved on March 7, and now it appears to be heading to a European port.

Liberian-flagged Archelaos, carrying diesel, was en route to the Welsh port of Milford Haven and due to offload the cargo today having been filled with fuel at Primorsk in Russia. It was turned away and is heading to Antwerp. And Oil tanker NS Champion was due to unload on Orkney on February 28 but was asked not to. It is now off the Denmark coast.