Trial begins in shipyard sanctions circumvention case

27 November 2025

The first hearing in the trial of Damen Shipyards, which is accused of circumventing EU sanctions on Russia, took place on Monday in the Netherlands, according to local media.

In April 2025, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service announced its decision to prosecute Damen Shipyards and its former directors for bribery and sanctions violations. According to a statement released by Damen Shipyards, the allegations at the preliminary hearing relate to the delivery of cranes to Russia in 2022.

The first preliminary hearing has now taken place. According to a Public Prosecution Service spokesperson, this is the first prosecution of a major European defence company for sanctions evasion. The trial will now continue.

Mark Handley’s Sanctions Enforcement blog has covered this case and other sanctions enforcement cases in Europe.