Ukraine’s risky bet pays off: ships are headed to Black Sea ports, – Bloomberg

The ships are now trying to approach the coasts of NATO member states Bulgaria and Romania to reduce risks.

A steady stream of ships is carrying grain and metals from Ukraine, a month after the first ship to arrive passed through a new Black Sea maritime corridor , despite Russian threats.

According to vessel tracking data collected by the Bloomberg agency , more than 30 vessels have entered the ports of Greater Odessa since the corridor came into effect in mid-September. Their cargoes include about 1 million tons of grain, Dmytro Solomchuk, a deputy of the Ukrainian Parliament Committee on Agriculture, said this week.

This indicates that Kyiv’s risky bid is more than merely symbolic and that it is regaining some control over trade from its Black Sea ports.

Ukrainian farmers are harvesting now, and the harvest (even during the war) turned out to be larger than expected, making this a vital time for exports. Solomchuk said that within a few weeks, the country will face the problem of grain storage if supplies do not resume.

According to Bloomberg calculations using Marine Traffic data, the 32 ships that entered Ukrainian ports during the month from September 16 had a total carrying capacity of about 1.4 million tons. That would be similar to the volume sent by the UN-Turkey-backed corridor in its first month of operation, but still only a third of the volume that went through the route when it was most efficient.

The ships are now trying to approach the coasts of NATO member states Bulgaria and Romania to reduce risks. Vessel tracking data shows that some vessels using the new route have turned off their location signals as they arrive at Black Sea ports.

At least nine vessels calling at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports were Panamax vessels, some of the largest grain carriers worldwide, the data showed, showing that some shipowners are willing to take a risk by sending larger and more valuable vessels to Ukraine , despite the potential danger.

In addition to crops, ships also carried goods such as iron. The original UN corridor allowed only grain, food and fertilizers to be transported.

Unblocking of maritime corridors by Ukraine

Ukraine established a temporary route from the ports of Greater Odesa after Russia withdrew from the UN-Turkey-backed Safe Corridor agreement in July. Shipowners were initially wary of working there because Russia threatened to view any vessels bound for Ukraine as potentially carrying weapons.

However, although the number of vessels is increasing, the inherent risks remain the same.

“It’s still dangerous and very risky,” said Serhii Feofilov, general director of Ukragroconsult. “This new alternative corridor will increase Ukraine’s exports, but we will see how important it will be.”

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday during a visit to China that Russian planes equipped with Dagger missiles would patrol the neutral zone over the Black Sea, without specifying their purpose.

(C)UNIAN 2023