UA EN

The Duration of Artificial Delays of Vessels in the Kerch Strait. The Monitoring for January 2022

Andrii KLYMENKO
Tetyana GUCHAKOVA
Olha KORBUT

The Monitoring Group of BlackSeaNews and the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies

The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews wishes to bring to your attention the latest in a series of our monthly reports on Russia's economic war against Ukraine in the Sea of Azov.

1. In January 2022, the average duration of artificial delays of vessels going from the Black Sea to the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov − Mariupol and Berdiansk − by the Russian Federation (RF) was 36.7 hours (See Figure 1).

Figure 1

In January 2022, a total of 69 vessels passed through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea in the direction of the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov – Mariupol and Berdiansk (See Table 1). When calculating the duration of artificial delays of vessels from the time of their arrival to the moment of obtaining a permit to pass through the Kerch Strait, 59 ships have been taken into account. 

Of the 69 vessels listed, 21 were related to EU countries on the basis of the flag state and/or the shipowner's country of registration. The average wait time for a permit to pass through the Kerch Strait was 36.7 hours per vessel, and for vessels related to EU countries – 35 hours per vessel.

Table 1. Artificial Delays of Vessels en Route to (UA) Mariupol and (UA) Berdiansk at the Entrance to the Sea of Azov (January 2022)

Name

ІМО

Date/time of arrival

Date/time of departure

Duration. hrs

Flag

Destination

SPRING

8408650

01.01 19-00

04.01 08-00

61

Belize

Honduras

(UA) Berdyansk

AVERSA

8841606

02.01 01-00

02.01 23-00

22

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Berdyansk

CARINA

8908545

02.01 06-00

04.01 19-00

61

Dominica

Malta

(UA) Mariupol

VALMIERA

8203660

03.01 08-00

03.01 10-00

2

Comoros

Marshall Islands

(UA) Berdyansk

CENGIZ AMCA

9616096

03.01 23-00

04.01 08-00

9

Liberia

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

SELECTA

9424807

04.01 01-00

04.01 08-00

7

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

SENATA

9451575

04.01 22-00

07.01 18-00

68

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

LUCKY STAR

9123506

05.01 23-00

07.01 18-00

43

Moldova

Ukraine

(UA) Mariupol

MOHAC

9251042

06.01 09-00

07.01 18-00

33

Liberia

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

ATA

9521899

07.01 00-00

07.01 18-00

18

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

VOLGO-BALT206

8230340

07.01 09-00

08.01 01-00

16

Sierra Leone

Turkey

(UA) Berdyansk

DELTA

8946810

07.01 10-00

08.01 01-00

15

St.Kitts and Nevis

Ukraine

(UA) Berdyansk

AK DISCOVERY

9218208

08.01 09-00

09.01 10-00

25

Panama

Lebanon

(UA) Berdyansk

NEW WAY

8857693

08.01 16-00

08.01 18-00

2

Moldova

Ukraine

(UA) Berdyansk

ANNABELLA

8919788

09.01 21-00

10.01 08-00

11

Comoros

Marshall Is.

(UA) Mariupol

MAORI

9874208

10.01 01-00

10.01 08-00

7

Malta

Ukraine

(UA) Berdyansk

SOPHIA I

9546007

10.01 09-00

10.01 09-00

0

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

AMIR BEY

9016155

10.01 05-00

13.01 20-00

87

Tanzania

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

LILY-HA

8116972

15.01 16-00

17.01 00-00

32

Togo

Lebanon

(UA) Berdyansk

KALELI ANA

7429322

15.01 22-00

16.01 23-00

25

Comoros

Turkey

(UA) Berdyansk

FORTUNA

9118252

15.01 12-00

17.01 00-00

34

Barbados

Liberia

(UA) Mariupol

MILLAC

7208716

15.01 11-00

17.01 12-00

49

Comoros

Lebanon

(UA) Berdyansk

AKOMENA

9662485

16.01 00-00

16.01 23-00

23

Malta

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

DUNAY

7397593

17.01 05-00

17.01 17-00

12

Moldova

UK

(UA) Berdyansk

LUCKY

9037305

17.01 18-00

20.01 13-00

66

Liberia

Greece

(UA) Mariupol

SMARTA

9396567

18.01 05-00

20.01 12-00

55

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

EGE BEY

9103013

18.01 11-00

20.01 13-00

50

Cook islands

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

MERRY M

8418265

18.01 01-00

20.01 19-00

66

Comoros

Turkey

(UA) Berdyansk

TZAREVICH

9145229

18.01 00-00

20.01 13-00

61

Malta

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

ADASTAR

9151515

18.01 18-00

20.01 12-00

42

Liberia

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

FERAHNAZ

9071636

18.01 08-00

20.01 12-00

52

-

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

FIRAT

8310384

18.01 05-00

19.01 18-00

37

Comoros

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

TZAREVNA

9145231

19.01 08-00

20.01 12-00

28

Malta

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

MEKHANIK YUZVOVICH

9116101

19.01 07-00

20.01 20-00

37

Palau

Ukraine

(UA) Mariupol

FEDERAL LEDA

9229996

20.01 19-00

22.01 12-00

41

Marshall Is.

Canada

(UA) Mariupol

RHONE

9057305

20.01 20-00

22.01 20-00

48

Vanuatu

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

UNI - K

9159579

20.01 12-00

20.01 12-00

0

Togo

Egypt

(UA) Mariupol

FEDERAL COLUMBIA

9671084

21.01 19-00

26.01 13-00

114

Marshall Is.

Canada

(UA) Mariupol

NIMET TORLAK

9282948

21.01 22-00

22.01 20-00

22

Liberia

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

HABIP BAYRAK

9458183

21.01 00-00

21.01 14-00

14

Malta

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

BOGDAN

9132492

21.01 05-00

21.01 14-00

9

Belize

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

STAR II

9476068

21.01 22-00

22.01 19-00

21

Malta

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

PASHA

8213718

22.01 21-00

24.01 14-00

41

Cook Islands

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

BBC LAGOS

9570668

22.01 02-00

25.01 08-00

78

Antigua and Barbuda

Germany

(UA) Mariupol

ULUSOY-9

9498884

22.01 01-00

26.01 07-00

102

Turkey

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

PHOENIX

9558490

22.01 06-00

22.01 12-00

6

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

SARA S

7721964

23.01 00-00

26.01 08-00

80

Togo

Panama

(UA) Berdyansk

SALLY M

9152844

23.01 12-00

26.01 13-00

73

Panama

Malta

(UA) Berdyansk

MARYLAND

8418758

23.01 21-00

26.01 13-00

64

Liberia

Estonia

(UA) Mariupol

SIMA

9000314

25.01 22-00

26.01 13-00

15

Sierra Leone

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

DEEB BREEZE

9191577

26.01 21-00

29.01 15-00

66

Belize

UAE

(UA) Mariupol

HABIP BAYRAK

9458183

26.01 07-00

28.01 16-00

57

Malta

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

LADY JASMIN

9106974

27.01 14-00

27.01 19-00

5

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

REK NOBLE

9229879

27.01 23-00

29.01 15-00

32

Panama

Egypt

(UA) Mariupol

FK HATICE

8520898

27.01 16-00

31.01 17-00

97

Comoros

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

GHADA A

7126102

28.01 15-00

28.01 19-00

4

Togo

Turkey

(UA) Berdyansk

METALLICA

9674921

29.01 06-00

29.01 08-00

2

Malta

Switzerland

(UA) Mariupol

BMI EMPEROR

9310331

29.01 04-00

29.01 23-00

19

Turkey

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

SOPHIA I

9546007

31.01 16-00

31.01 16-00

0

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

The long delays of the vessels below were caused by stormy weather and have not been taken into account in the calculations

SK FRIENDSHIP

8909446

03.01 21-00

07.01 18-00

93

Togo

UAE

(UA) Berdyansk

GOGLAND

9430210

12.01 06-00

17.01 12-00

126

Cyprus

Marshall Is.

(UA) Berdyansk

KIEVSKAYA

8724547

13.01 15-00

16.01 16-00

73

Moldova

Uk

(UA) Berdyansk

IZMAILSKAYA

8832045

13.01 06-00

16.01 16-00

82

Moldova

Uk

(UA) Berdyansk

KUYALNITSKAYA

8728842

13.01 07-00

16.01 16-00

81

Moldova

Uk

(UA) Berdyansk

SK FRIENDSHIP

8909446

13.01 07-00

19.01 08-00

145

Togo

UAE

(UA) Berdyansk

HERMES

9071052

13.01 20-00

16.01 15-00

67

Moldova

Ukraine

(UA) Mariupol

PEACE

9553983

14.01 20-00

16.01 16-00

44

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

GUNCE AKAY

9421051

14.01 14-00

17.01 12-00

70

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

= 69 all / 21 EU vessels

 

 

 

= 36,7 all / 35 EU

= 10 EU owners

= 16 EU owners

 

 

* * *

2. In January 2022, vessels carrying exports from Mariupol and Berdiansk were delayed at the exit from the Sea of Azov by the Russian Federation for an average of 60.6 hours (See Figure 2).

From December 2018 to December 2020, due to the threat of the "Azov package" of international sanctions against Russian ports on the Sea of Azov, there was a slight decrease in the average duration of artificial delays of ships at the exit from the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea: in 2018 − 79.5 hours; in 2019 − up to 37.4 hours; in 2020 − 29.6 hours per vessel. In 2021, this figure increased significantly to 39.8 hours per vessel and exceeded those for 2019 and 2020.

Figure 2​​​​

In January 2022, a total of 68 vessels passed through the Kerch Strait from the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov – Mariupol and Berdiansk – in the direction of the Black Sea (See Table 2). When calculating the duration of artificial delays of vessels from the time of their arrival to the moment of obtaining a permit to pass through the Kerch Strait, 57 vessels have been taken into account.

Table 2. Artificial Delays of Vessels en Route From (UA) Mariupol and (UA) Berdiansk at the Exit from the Sea of Azov (January 2022)

Name

ІМО

Date/time of arrival

Date/time of departure

Duration. hrs

Flag

Destination

MARYLAND

8418758

31.12 23-00

02.01 10-0

35

Liberia

Estonia

(ES) Castellon de la Plana

GALISA

8301838

31.12 09-00

02.01 00-00

39

Vanuatu

Turkey

(GE) Poti

PRINCESS EMAN

8129321

31.12 21-00

02.01 11-00

38

Malta

Bulgaria

(LB) Tripoli

PHOENIX

9558490

01.01 15-00

02.01 10-00

19

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(IT) Monfalcone

SIMA

9000314

01.01 02-00

02.01 11-00

33

Sierra Leone

Turkey

(EG) El Iskandariya (= Alexandria)

SPARTA

9372468

03.01 07-00

04.01 11-00

28

Liberia

Malta

(IT) Marghera

SANTANA

9449388

03.01 00-00

04.01 12-00

36

Liberia

Austria

(IT) Marghera

METALLICA

9674921

04.01 10-00

10.01 12-00

146

Malta

Switzerland

(IT) Marghera

GHADA A

7126102

04.01 13-00

09.01 14-00

121

Togo

Turkey

(TR) Marmara

ALI A

7915307

07.01 01-00

20.01 08-00

319

Togo

Greece

(LB) Beirut

STELLINA

9674933

07.01 09-00

10.01 18-00

81

Malta

Switzerland

(IT) Marghera

CENGIZ AMCA

9616096

07.01 10-00

10.01 17-00

79

Liberia

Turkey

(GR) Thessaloniki

SELECTA

9424807

08.01 22-00

10.01 18-00

44

Liberia

Austria

(IT) Monfalcone

QUEEN SARA

9132507

08.01 20-00

10.01 18-00

46

Sierra Leone

Turkey

(LY) Tripoli

AVERSA

8841606

09.01 03-00

10.01 19-00

40

Panama

Turkey

(TR) Karasu

SPRING

8408650

09.01 16-00

16.01 19-00

171

Belize

Honduras

(LB) Beirut

DAYTONA-H

8520836

09.01 07-00

10.01 18-00

35

Comoros

Lebanon

(LB) Tripoli

UTE

9433339

09.01 06-00

10.01 17-00

35

Antigua and Barbuda

Germany

(PT) Estoril

KAREWOOD GLORY

9281504

11.01 02-00

17.01 08-00

150

Bahamas

Ukraine

(TR) Aliaga

VALMIERA

8203660

11.01 22-00

19.01 08-00

178

Comoros

Marshall Islands

(TR) Aliaga

SENATA

9451575

11.01 18-00

17.01 08-00

134

Liberia

Austria

(IT) Monfalcone

MAORI

9874208

16.01 18-00

20.01 08-00

86

Malta

Ukraine

(IT) Bari

GOLDEN ARROW

9194440

17.01 20-00

20.01 16-00

68

Panama

Egypt

(TR) Bandirma

MEDUSA S

7726213

17.01 02-00

20.01 16-00

86

Togo

Turkey

(TR) Bandirma

ATA

9521899

17.01 05-00

20.01 17-00

84

Panama

Turkey

(EG) El Iskandariya (= Alexandria)

NEW WAY

8857693

17.01 07-00

21.01 17-00

106

Moldova

Ukraine

(TR) Aliaga

ASTOL

8230156

18.01 02-00

21.01 16-00

86

Comoros

Turkey

(TR) Aliaga

GOGLAND

9430210

19.01 12-00

20.01 16-00

28

Cyprus

Marshall Is.

(BG) Varna

VOLGO-BALT206

8230340

19.01 16-00

21.01 11-00

43

Sierra Leone

Turkey

(TR) Izmir

AMIR BEY

9016155

20.01 10-00

22.01 08-00

46

Tanzania

Lebanon

(TN) Sousse

PEACE

9553983

20.01 20-00

22.01 08-00

36

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(IT) Monfalcone

AKOMENA

9662485

20.01 12-00

21.01 10-00

22

Malta

Bulgaria

(TR) Iskenderun

HERMES

9071052

21.01 18-00

22.01 16-00

22

Moldova

Ukraine

(GR) Thessaloniki

KALELI ANA

7429322

21.01 10-00

22.01 15-00

29

Comoros

Turkey

(LB) Beirut

GUNCE AKAY

9421051

22.01 04-00

22.01 22-00

18

Panama

Turkey

(TN) Bizerte

TZAREVNA

9145231

23.01 02-00

25.01 12-00

58

Malta

Bulgaria

(IT) Marghera

TZAREVICH

9145229

23.01 03-00

25.01 12-00

57

Malta

Bulgaria

(IT) Monfalcone

FERAHNAZ

9071636

23.01 22-00

25.01 12-00

34

-

Turkey

(TR) Eregli

FORTUNA

9118252

25.01 18-00

26.01 00-00

6

Barbados

Liberia

(TR) Gemlik

FIRAT

8310384

25.01 13-00

26.01 00-00

11

Comoros

Turkey

(IT) Oristano

NIMET TORLAK

9282948

26.01 15-00

28.01 11-00

44

Liberia

Turkey

(IT) Marghera

LILY-HA

8116972

26.01 01-00

31.01 21-00

124

Togo

Lebanon

(LB) Beirut

SEA BREEZE

8915184

26.01 13-00

29.01 19-00

78

Togo

Lebanon

(TR) Karasu

MEKHANIK YUZVOVICH

9116101

26.01 22-00

28.01 12-00

38

Palau

Ukraine

(IT) Bari

PHOENIX

9558490

26.01 12-00

26.01 16-00

4

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(IT) Monfalcone

ADASTAR

9151515

27.01 09-00

28.01 11-00

26

Liberia

Turkey

(IT) Marghera

LUCKY

9037305

27.01 16-00

29.01 12-00

44

Liberia

Greece

(TR) Aliaga

STAR II

9476068

28.01 08-00

29.01 12-00

28

Malta

Turkey

(FR) Bayonne

GUNCE AKAY

9421051

28.01 08-00

29.01 12-00

28

Panama

Turkey

(FR) Bayonne

RHONE

9057305

28.01 11-00

29.01 13-00

26

Vanuatu

Turkey

(TR) Aliaga

MERRY M

8418265

28.01 05-00

29.01 12-00

31

Comoros

Turkey

(TR) Beirut

MILLAC

7208716

29.01 01-00

31.01 20-00

67

Comoros

Lebanon

(LB) Beirut

FEDERAL COLUMBIA

9671084

30.01 08-00

01.02 16-00

56

Marshall Is.

Canada

(TR) Istanbul

SARA S

7721964

30.01 19-00

01.02 17-00

46

Togo

Panama

(TR) Izmir

FEDERAL LEDA

9229996

31.01 12-00

01.02 16-00

28

Marshall Is.

Canada

(GB) Sunderland

EGE BEY

9103013

31.01 03-00

01.02 16-00

37

Cook islands

Turkey

(PT) Aveiro

MARYLAND

8418758

31.01 21-00

01.02 16-00

19

Liberia

Estonia

(IT) Ravenna

The long delays of the vessels below were caused by stormy weather and have not been taken into account in the calculations

FK SILA

8130851

03.01 12-00

07.01 13-00

97

St Vincent

Greece

(LB) Beirut

DOGA K

9100530

03.01 19-00

07.01 21-00

98

Comoros

Greece

(TR) Tekirdag

ANASTASIA

8926121

03.01 20-00

08.01 15-00

115

Palau

Turkey

(TR) Izmir

ALKADI BEY

9085675

12.01 18-00

19.01 08-00

158

Cook Islands

Turkey

(RU) Новороссийск

DELTA

8946810

12.01 10-00

18.01 16-00

150

St.Kitts and Nevis

Ukraine

(TR) Samsun

MOHAC

9251042

12.01 08-00

19.01 09-00

169

Liberia

Turkey

(GR) Antiparos

SOPHIA I

9546007

14.01 15-00

20.01 08-00

113

Liberia

Austria

(TR) Eregli

ANNABELLA

8919788

14.01 06-00

20.01 08-00

146

Comoros

Marshall Is.

(IT) Ravenna

AK DISCOVERY

9218208

15.01 20-00

19.01 09-00

85

Panama

Lebanon

(LB) Beirut

CARINA

8908545

15.01 01-00

19.01 08-00

103

Dominica

Malta

(GB) Glasgow

LUCKY STAR

9123506

15.01 09-00

19.01 08-00

95

Moldova

Ukraine

(TR) Gemlik

= 68 all / 35 EU vessels

 

 

 

= 60.6 all /56.5 EU

=11 EU owners

= 20 EU owners

= 27 EU ports

 

* * *

Thus, of the 68 vessels listed, 35 were related to EU countries on the basis of the flag state, and/or the shipowner's country of registration, and/or the port of destination. The average wait time for a permit to pass through the Kerch Strait was 60.6 hours per vessel, and for vessels related to EU countries – 56.5 hours per vessel.

For reference. During the entire monitoring period (since June 2018), the wait time for permission to pass through the Kerch Strait for vessels carrying export cargoes from the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea and beyond has almost always been much longer than for vessels sailing in ballast (without cargoes) from the Black Sea to Mariupol and Berdiansk.

This is explained by the following factors. Vessels going to the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov are waiting for the permit at the anchorage in Area 1 (see Figure 3), i.e. directly in the Kerch Strait. Next to it, there is a large anchorage of the RF's Port Kavkaz (Area 4), where transshipment of Russian cargoes delivered by Russia's ships from Russian ports on the Volga and Don rivers is carried out. Thus, the accumulation of a large number of vessels at the anchorage in Area 1 creates inconvenience for the Russian transshipment in Area 4.

Figure 3

Vessels going from the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov are waiting for permission to pass through the Kerch Strait at the anchorage in Area 3, i.e. in the Sea of Azov, near the entrance to the Kerch Strait. The accumulation of a large number of ships there does not interfere with the work of the Russian transshipment. This makes it possible to hold vessels at the anchorage in Area 3 for much longer without any obstacles to Russian traffic through the Kerch Strait.

Moreover, lengthy artificial delays of ships with Ukrainian export cargoes have a negative impact on the delivery time of Ukrainian cargoes to customers in the EU, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa.

3. From 22 October 2018 to January 2022, there were no delays of ships while on the move, going from/to Berdiansk and Mariupol, in the Sea of Azov because the Ukrainian Navy boats were escorting the vessels.

* * *

Historical Background

Prolonged inspections in the Kerch Strait of merchant ships going to/from the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of ​​Azov (Mariupol, Berdiansk) were initiated by the Coast Guard of the FSB Border Service in May-June 2018 – after the commissioning of the Kerch Bridge.

The pretext for such inspections is the possible presence aboard ships leaving the Ukrainian ports of sabotage groups and explosives to destroy the Kerch Bridge (V. Putin’s pet project). This, incidentally, explains the fact that ships bound for Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov are delayed in the Kerch Strait for a shorter time than those leaving the Ukrainian ports. For example, in March 2021, the average duration of artificial delays by Russia of ships bound for Mariupol or Berdiansk was 14.3 hours and on the way back – 41.8 hours.

Prior to the beginning of the de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports in May 2018, the average waiting time for permission to pass through the Kerch Strait was 5-7 hours. In the second half of 2018, this figure reached 80-115 hours. The situation was later eased due to political and diplomatic pressure on Russia from Western countries.

Back then, this obstruction of traffic was already considered in the context of Russia's demands concerning other issues, such as exploring the possibility of resuming the supply of Dnieper water to occupied Crimea.

The reduction in the time of artificial delays of vessels in the Kerch Strait since December 2018 was due to the imminent threat of the introduction of the "Azov package" of international sanctions against the Russian ports on the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. In addition, this reduction was due to linking the Azov problem to the EU's decision on permits to continue the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline. We even called this decrease the "Merkel-Macron coefficient."

In 2019, the average duration of artificial delays per vessel was 37.4 hours; in 2020, this figure dropped to 29.6 hours. This decrease resulted from Russian border guards of the FSB Coast Guard’s fear of contracting COVID-19, as up to half of the vessels subject to inspections were going from ports of Italy and other European countries, where in the spring of 2020, a significant outbreak of the pandemic occurred.

In November 2020-April 2021, there was a considerable increase in the duration of artificial delays, which reached an average of 53 hours.

The maximum average duration of artificial delays of ships leaving the Sea of Azov in 2021 was observed in April – 70 hours. The longest duration of delays of individual vessels at the exit from the Sea of Azov (compared to the waiting time at the entrance to the Sea of Azov) was recorded in the first half of April 2021, when it reached 220 hours, i.e. almost 10 days.

This coincided with the transfer of a significant number of Russian troops and equipment – including a group of 15 warships of the Caspian flotilla across the Sea of Azov – to occupied Crimea during the spring military escalation.

Later, in May-June 2021, these indicators returned to the average values of the previous year: more than 20 hours. This was due to the seasonal increase in Russian marine grain exports through transshipment in the Kerch Strait. During this period, a great number of merchant ships, carrying grain from Russian regions on the river Volga through the Sea of Azov and transshipping it in the Kerch Strait to large foreign vessels, accumulate in the Kerch Strait.

Therefore, artificial delays of a large number of Mariupol and Berdiansk-bound vessels in the Kerch Strait hinder the transshipment of Russian grain.

On average, about 60-70 vessels enter/leave the Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov every month. About 50% of them are related to the EU in one way or another (the flag, shipowner, port of destination, or a combination of such features).

They account for 5-7% of Ukraine's exports (mainly metal and grain). The number of vessels passing through the Kerch Strait to/from the Russian ports on the Sea of Azov, the Don, and the Volga is measured in hundreds per month. This river-sea route is used by the Russian Federation for very significant grain exports. Thus, when Russia forces the vessels carrying Ukrainian grain cargoes to wait, it also creates obstacles for the competitor in the world grain market. In addition, it is one of the main routes of maritime exports of Russian oil products through transshipment in the Kerch Strait.

From May to October 2018, we also recorded delays of commercial vessels going to/from Mariupol and Berdiansk on the move by ships and boats of the Coast Guard of the FSB Border Service for "security checks." There were a total of 110 such delays at sea, including 56 delays of vessels related to EU countries. A significant part of such delays took place only 5-7 miles from the port of Mariupol. These delays at sea ended in October 2018.

The reason these delays on the move stopped were the following two factors. The first was the fact that 2 small armoured gun boats of the Ukrainian Navy (Project 58155, Gyurza-M class) appeared in the Sea of Azov and began patrolling the Kerch Strait – Berdiansk – Mariupol route. At the end of October 2018, there were 2 incidents when Ukrainian boats prevented the boats of the Coast Guard of the FSB of the Russian Federation from stopping commercial vessels (including the warning of the use of weapons).

The second factor was political and diplomatic pressure on Russia from Western countries and extensive coverage of these events in the Western media.

For Reference: the Areas Where Freedom of Navigation Was Violated
Are Marked on the Map

* * *

This article has been prepared with the support of the European Union in Ukraine. The content of the article is the sole responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the EU.

Теми: