German customs allows detained cargo ship to depart Baltic Sea port

German customs authorities have granted the cargo ship Atlantic Navigator II permission to depart from the German Baltic Sea port of Rostock, after earlier detaining the ship under EU sanctions against Russia.

A spokeswoman for the German customs office in Stralsund confirmed the decision to dpa on Friday.

The cargo ship, which was heading from Russia to North America, was forced to stop in the German port for repairs after experiencing technical problems in early March.

German customs officials then ordered the ship detained, noting that all ships entering EU ports are subject to customs inspection and EU regulations.