Major container lines suspend shipments to Russia

An increasing number of major container shipping lines have temporarily halted services to and from Russia , in light of the sanctions placed against the country following its invasion of  Ukraine . Russia ＇ s assault on its neighbour , which Moscow says is a ' special operation ", is the biggest state - to - state invasion in Europe since World War Two , reports Reuters .Singapore - headquartered container shipping company Ocean Network Express ( ONE ) said in a customer advisory :" Booking acceptance to and from St Petersburg , Russia is suspended with immediate effect until further notice whilst we evaluate the operational feasibility ."The shipping line added that it had also suspended bookings for the Russian port of Novorossisk as well as the Ukrainian container port of Odessa . The company has confirmed that the suspension will not apply to foodstuffs or medical and humanitarian supplies . Shipping giant AP Moller - Maersk which operates container shipping routes to St Petersburg and Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea , Novorossiysk in the Black Sea , and Vladivostok and Vostochny on Russias east coast , announced that al container shipping to Russia would be temporarily halted .＂