Rosatom sending cargos for Rooppur Power Plant thru’ alternative route
The delay in delivering cargo will not affect the construction of the power plant, officials of the project say
Cargo for the Rooppur nuclear power plant (NPP) is being sent to Bangladesh using an alternative route, instead of the US-sanctioned Russian ship, the Rosatom nuclear corporation said.
The Russian state news agency Tass reported last Tuesday, quoting Rooppur's project implementing agency Rosatom.
Last December, the Russian vessel called "Ursa Major" was denied berth by Bangladesh shipping authorities as the vessel is under US sanctions.
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The delay in delivering cargo will not affect the construction of the nuclear power plant, officials of the nuclear power plant project said.
An official of the Rooppur Power Plant Project said on Wednesday that Cargo for the Rooppur power plant is coming from Russia using an alternative ship. Due to this delay, the construction of the nuclear power plant will not be affected.
The Russian ship carrying goods for Bangladesh's lone nuclear power plant left St Petersburg port of Russia for Bangladesh on 14 November last year, by changing its name to Sparta-3 as it had come under US sanction over the Ukraine war.
The vessel was supposed to reach Bangladesh on 24 December. But on 20 December, the US Embassy in a diplomatic letter informed Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the Russian flagship had changed its name to Sparta-3.
In the letter, the US Embassy said any kind of cooperation with sanctioned ships would invite the risk of falling under the US sanctions or large financial penalties.
After denial by Bangladesh Shipping authorities, the "Ursa Major" also returned from India without unloading the products for the Rooppur Power Plant after a wait of around two weeks there.
Bangladesh had joined US and EU sanctions against Russian vessels and banned 69 Russian ships from calling its ports.
"We are unaware of the causes and problems of the vessels you have mentioned. As regards deliveries of equipment for the NPP, we have a single case when a logistical company delivering cargo to Bangladesh faced a restriction when calling the port," the Rosatom said.
