Databases

In October 2023, 2 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from the Black Sea were recorded. One of them involved the delivery of crude oil to a transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece. The second violation was the shipment of crude oil from Novorossiysk directly to the port of MILAZZO, Sicily, Italy. Both voyages were made by tankers belonging to companies from Greece. In October 2023, a total of 274,240 tons of Russian crude oil were delivered to the EU in violation of the embargo, compared with 496,854 tons in September 2023.

From January to October 2023, i.e., over 304 days, the Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out at least 155 attacks on targets in Crimean peninsula and Russian Black Sea Fleet, averaging one every other day. Among those: in Sevastopol – at least 37 attacks, or 24%; on BSF ships at sea – at least 19 attacks, or 12%; in Yevpatoriya, Saksky, Chornomorsky and Rozdolnensky districts (Western Crimea) – at least 25 attacks, or 16%; in Dzhankoy region— at least 14 attacks, or 9%; in Feodosia region – at least 12 attacks, or 7.6%; on Kerch Bridge – at least 4 attacks.

Just before the large-scale attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia had formed in the Mediterranean Sea an unprecedented grouping of warships from all four of its fleets. Specifically, in the first decade of February 2022, Russia's «Mediterranean squadron» included 29 ships and boats, specifically: 11 missile ships, 6 large amphibious assault ships (LST), a patrol corvette, 2 minesweepers, an anti-submarine warfare boat, 2 reconnaissance ships, 4 auxiliary supply vessels, and 2 tugs. In the late summer of 2022, Russia began a gradual withdrawal of its main warships from the region. As of October 15, 2023, the number of Russian Mediterranean grouping has decreased by 5 times — from 29 ships and boats in February 2023 to merely 6 in October 2023.Currently it includes: 2 missile corvettes, an anti-submarine warfare boat, a reconnaissance ship, a supply tanker, a floating shipyard, and not a single tug.

The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews, based on the results of its own monitoring, presents a database of seaborne exports of crude oil and petroleum products from Russian ports on the Black and Azov Seas in October 2023. In total, in October 2023, 182 tankers exported oil and petroleum products from Russian ports (excluding exports to Bulgaria and Romania). They transported a total of about 12.9 million tons of cargo, including 3.5 million tons of Russian crude oil (28 tankers), 6.2 million tons of Kazakh CPC crude oil (45  tankers), and 3.1 million tons of Russian petroleum products (109 tankers).

In October 2023, a total of 45 tankers exported CPC oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, excluding the exports to Bulgaria and Romania. Together they exported a total of about 6.24 million tons of oil, including 4.1 million tons to the EU and 2.1 million tons to other countries.

The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies, based on its own monitoring, publishes a database of vessels that arrived in and departed from the ports of Greater Odesa along the new Ukrainian temporary maritime export corridor, which began operating on 16 September 2023. As of 16 October 2023, the number of ships that arrived along this corridor in the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdenny to take on cargo is 31. Their total deadweight is 1.3 million tons. 17 vessels out of 31 have already left the ports with cargo and are on their way to or have already arrived in their ports of destination.

Over the first 9 months of 2023, the Russian Armed Forces used the occupied Crimea to strike at the regions of Ukraine, including with: 230 Kalibr sea-launched cruise missiles – totaling 26 missiles monthly – from ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, whose main base is in the occupied Crimean Peninsula, 590 – 65 monthly —Shahed-136/131 UAVs, 40 Iskander ballistic missiles and 17 P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles. The Monitoring Group of the BlackSeaNews and the Black Sea Institute for Strategic Studies Based on the results of our own monitoring presents the database Russian Missile and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Attacks on the Regions of Ukraine from the Occupied Crimea in January-September 2023.

In September 2023, a total of 41 tankers exported CPC oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, excluding the exports to Bulgaria and Romania. Together they exported a total of about 5.6 million tons of oil, including 3.2 million tons to the EU and 2.4 million tons to other countries.

The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews, based on the results of its own monitoring (see Table 1), presents a database of seaborne exports of crude oil and petroleum products from Russian ports on the Black and Azov Seas in September 2023.

In September 2023, 30 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian petroleum products (excluding crude oil) from the Black Sea were recorded. 6 direct voyages from Russian ports to those of EU countries were made. The remaining 24 voyages included delivery of petroleum products to transshipment points: 21 – in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece, 3 – off the coast of Malta.

In September 2023, 4 violations of the EU embargo on seaborne imports of Russian crude oil from the Black Sea were recorded. All of them involved the delivery of oil to a transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf off the coast of Greece. 2 such voyages were made by tankers belonging to companies from Greece, 1 – by a shipowner from Cyprus, and 1 – by a company registered in Turkey. A total of 496,854 tons of Russian crude oil were delivered to the transshipment point in the Laconian Gulf in violation of the embargo, compared with 377,766 tons in August 2023 and 222,316 tons in June 2023.

As of 26 September 2023, of the 100 vessels that were blocked in Ukrainian ports on 24 February 2022, 50 remain: 29 of them are in the ports of the Mykolaiv region, 14 – in Kherson, and 5 – in Mariupol. For various reasons, 2 sea vessels out of 41 that were blocked on 24 February 2022 remain in the ports of the Odesa region. Of these 50 vessels, 15 belong to shipowner companies from EU countries (8 – to Greek shipowners, 3 – to Maltese ones, 1 vessel – to shipowners from Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, and Denmark each), 14 – to shipowners from Turkey, and 8 – to Ukrainian shipowner companies. Other shipowners include companies from Norway, China, Great Britain, Montenegro, Bangladesh, the Marshall Islands, Lebanon, Egypt, and Singapore.

In April 2023, crude oil exports decreased by 14.2% to 4,822,058 tons, while in May and June 2023, they increased again totaling almost 5 million tons in each. But in July 2023, exports dropped by 27.2% to 3,636,836 tons, and in August 2023, the decline continued, with a further reduction of 12.6% compared to the previous month.

The Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews, based on the results of its own monitoring (see Table 1), presents a database of seaborne exports of crude oil and petroleum products from Russian ports on the Black and Azov Seas in August 2023.

In August 2023, a total of 48 tankers exported CPC oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk, excluding the exports to Bulgaria and Romania. Together they exported a total of about 6.65 million tons of oil, including 3.8 million tons to the EU and 2.8 million tons to other countries.