In two separate but substantively related appeal proceedings for preliminary legal protection, the Supreme Tax Court held that customs authorities are not permitted to confiscate and to utilize the oil tanker “Eventin” for the time being in light of the European Union (EU) sanctions against Russia. The court sees “reasonable doubts“ as to the legitimacy of the proposed measures. It is not clear whether, despite EU sanctions, the ship and its cargo are allowed to enter and leave EU territory due to an exception applicable for emergencies.
The Supreme Tax Court has held that an option to tax international shipping operations on the basis of the net registered tonnage operated depends on the intention to operate for at least a year after putting the ship into service (commissioning). A gain on the sale of a ship prior to commissioning is not an ancillary transaction to the tonnage tax operations of her replacement, even if the sale proceeds are used to finance the new vessel.
