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LTG Cargo, the freight transportation company of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (LTG) Group (Lithuanian Railways Group), further tightens cargo transportation controls. The company applies an extremely thorough screening with regard to all railway cargo both from Belarus and other countries. LTG Cargo has already informed its customers who will be bound by more stringent rules for submitting transport requests to allow for even more enhanced control of risks and to prevent possible circumvention of sanctions.

“We are particularly tough on possible attempts by businesses to get around international sanctions, and we will do everything within our power to prevent the entry into Lithuania of railway cargo that benefits the aggressor countries. The cases that have come to light have mobilised our entire team for cooperating with other authorities responsible for sanctions control, and we remain alert and ready to react”, says Arnoldas Ūkeniekas, Chairman of the Board of LTG Cargo.

“We are responding to all possible attempts to circumvent applicable international sanctions and already have in place a concrete action plan to further strengthen freight controls. We are already performing extremely detailed checks on inbound cargo from both Belarus and other countries. To this effect we have updated our rules for submitting transport requests and have informed our customers. We have and will further insist on a principled position by continuing to cooperate consistently with other authorities responsible for sanctions control to prevent any attempts to circumvent the restrictive measures,” says Eglė Šimė, CEO of LTG Cargo.

From 1 March, all LTG Cargo customers carrying goods on the broad-gauge line will be bound to submit additional comprehensive information and documentation. To ensure compliance of all customers with the updated procedure, they will have to resubmit their requests to transport freight from third countries together with the additional information. Where there is any suspicion of attempts to circumvent the sanctions, or if customers refuse to provide any of the requested additional documents, the company already suspends and will continue to suspend such cargo shipments. The particularly tightened documentary checks launched with regard to transport requests in February have already been in place since last week.

With a view of strengthening the sanctions control processes, the scope of checks carried out before the submission of requests by customers is being extended. Customers will have to submit additional documents in advance, and only after their verification by the company staff and subject to authorisation customers will be able to submit their freight transport requests. Until now, part of the information was collected and verified during the approval stage for requests and part of it after freight reaches the Lithuanian territory. The widened scope of information to be provided in advance by customers will allow for early collection and analysis of data by the company. As the behaviour of sanctioned entities is changing, both the analysis of information provided by each customer and the systemic analysis of cargo movements are essential tools to identify and prevent potential infringements.

Moreover, LTG Cargo customers who have contracts with the company or will sign them in the future will be required to comply with the provisions contained in LTG’s Policy on Sanctions, Code of Ethics and Anti-corruption Management System.

The updated rules for submitting transport requests will apply to all freight customers. The only exception to these rules will be transit requests for essential goods, which will remain valid with their transit carried out as usual according to the determined averages for the specific commodity codes, which are allowed to enter from the mainland of the Russian Federation to the Kaliningrad Oblast and vice versa.

The Company has also drawn attention of its customers to the Law on Sanctions which provides that it shall be prohibited to conclude transactions and assume new obligations the performance of which would be in conflict with international sanctions implemented in the Republic of Lithuania, while such transactions and obligations, as concluded and assumed previously, must be terminated immediately.