The Belgian port of Zeebrugge and the French port of Dunkirk are becoming main points for the import of liquefied Russian gas to EU countries, Belgian media reported, citing data from environmental organizations. It is noted that the liquefied gas terminals at both ports are operated by the Belgian company "Fluxys".
Last year, the volume of Russian liquefied gas imports to the EU increased by 9 percent, and transit - by 19.3 percent, the data show. It is explained that the imports are intended for EU countries, and the transmission is often at the request of Chinese companies. It is added that nearly half of the total quantities of liquefied Russian gas entering Europe pass through the two terminals of "Fluxis" before reaching the end customers via gas pipelines.
The environmentalists, who summarized the data, insist on full traceability of the quantities on the way from production to delivery to the recipient country. "Fluxis" has indicated that this is not possible due to commercial confidentiality.
At the end of last year, Belgium proposed introducing a common European system for tracking Russian liquefied gas imported into the EU, so that European sanctions against Russia, introduced due to the war in Ukraine, could be applied. Belgian authorities report that imports of liquefied gas into Belgium have doubled, making it difficult to enforce sanctions.
In June last year, the EU imposed sanctions on imports of Russian liquefied gas, banning the transfer of fuel between ships in European territorial waters.