- One tanker was scheduled to dock at the Isle of Grain in southeast England on Friday, The Guardian reported.
- Workers at the LNG terminal had warned in advance they wouldn't process Russian natural gas.
- Dockers are "determined to show their support for the Ukrainian people," a union official said.
British dockworkers have prevented two tankers carrying Russian natural gas from offloading their cargo in the UK in a protest again Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to reports.
Dockworkers at the Isle of Grain liquefied natural gas terminal in southeast England had insisted that they would not unload cargoes from Russia, The Guardian newspaper reported on Wednesday. On Thursday, the paper reported that the LNG tanker Boris Vilkitsky – which was scheduled to tie up at the terminal on Friday – had been diverted.
A second vessel, the Fedor Litke, has also been diverted, the BBC reported. Both vessels are sailing under the Cyprus flag, it said.
Speaking ahead of the ships' diversions, Matt Lay, the national officer for energy at the union representing the Isle of Grain workers, Unison, said: "The workers at the National Grid terminal don't want to touch the cargo given the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine."
"These staff are determined to show their support for the Ukrainian people and uphold the sanctions imposed against Russia," he added.
The UK government on March 1 banned vessels with any Russian connection from docking in the UK, as part of a package of responses to Moscow's decision to send troops into Ukraine.
A Department of Transport spokesperson told Insider on Friday that the ban applies to vessels that are owned, operated or managed by Russian entities. Cargoes from Russia could be processed if they arrive on vessels from other nations, the spokesperson added.
The Isle of Grain terminal, operated by National Grid, is the largest LNG import facility in Europe and can accommodate 20% of the UK's LNG delivery capacity.
A spokesperson for National Grid, which operates the Isle of Grain terminal told the BBC: "In line with government policy, we do not expect any Russian-linked ships to dock at Grain."
The company did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
According to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, the UK could spend £6.3 million per day on Russian natural gas this year, generating funds that it warned could be used to fund Russia's invasion in Ukraine, according to a press release on its website.
"Although not at the same level of some other European countries, the UK has been spending billions of pounds on Russian gas that could now be used to fund Putin's war in Ukraine," Simon Cran-McGreehin, the ECIU's head analyst said.