Luxury yacht builder fined for using blood teak imported from Myanmar

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A court has fined a British luxury yacht builder for importing wood from Myanmar linked to the illegal timber trade, often referred to as blood teak. Teak logs being transported in Myanmar Judge Jonathan Fuller KC, while imposing fine, noted that Sunseeker was aware of the changes in timber import regulations after Brexit, which redefined the firm’s status from “trader” to “operator”. Sunseeker International, in a statement to The Independent, attributed the “unintended failure” to “a change in legislation on 1 January 2021, following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union”, adding that Brexit imposed “additional due diligence obligations” when sourcing timber from the EU. The company said it had “fully cooperated with the throughout its investigation, accepted responsibility at an early stage, and has taken decisive steps to rectify the issue, by implementing a robust timber procurement policy and a UKTR-compliant due diligence process”.