Wallenius Wilhelmsen Suspends Operations in Russia and Belarus

Norwegian RoRo shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen announced Monday it has suspended operations in Russia and Belarus indefinitely amid Russia's violent invasion of Ukraine.

The company said it discontinued services into Russia and stopped taking cargo bookings on February 24, while cargo on the water heading for Russia was re-routed to alternative ports and future cargo bookings into the region have been delayed or canceled. "We have now decided to formally suspend our operations until further notice," Wallenius Wilhelmsen said.

"The invasion of Ukraine is a tragedy. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the people of Ukraine and our thoughts are with the millions of innocent people directly affected," said Torbjørn Wist, acting CEO and CFO at Wallenius Wilhelmsen. "Our main concern is the safety and wellbeing of our employees and partners. We have employees in Russia and partners in Ukraine."

Wallenius Wilhelmsen noted its adherence to international sanctions. "We are a Norwegian company, we follow the rules and sanctions imposed by the Norwegian authorities," Wist said.

"It’s a fluid situation and it changes by the hour," the company said. "Wallenius Wilhelmsen has limited direct exposure in the region, and the company continues to monitor the impact on colleagues and operations."