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The Duration of Artificial Delays of Vessels in the Kerch Strait. The Monitoring for November 2021

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 November 2021, 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 12.3 hours (See Figure 1).

Figure 1

In November 2021, a total of 65 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, 60 ships have been taken into account. The remaining 5 vessels have been excluded from the calculations due to stormy weather, which led to their long delays.

Of the 60 vessels listed, 22 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 12.3 hours per vessel, and for vessels related to EU countries – almost the same – 11.1 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 (November 2021)

Vessel name

ІМО Date and time of arrival Date and time of departure Duration, hrs Flag Shipowner's country Destination

VENTURE

9030503

02.11 07-00

02.11 14-00

7

Antigua and Barbuda

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

KARRUCA

9216470

02.11 11-00

02.11 19-00

8

Turkey

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

KAREWOOD BRAVE

9281516

02.11 16-00

02.11 19-00

3

Bahamas

Ukraine

(UA) Mariupol

SELECTA

9424807

02.11 19-00

03.11 00-00

5

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

MEDUSA S

7726213

02.11 21-00

03.11 00-00

3

Togo

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

VALMIERA

8203660

03.11 05-00

03.11 08-00

3

Comoros

Marshall Islands

(UA) Berdiansk

NAZMI C

9577769

03.11 05-00

03.11 08-00

3

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

KAREWOOD PRIDE

9281499

03.11 17-00

03.11 20-00

3

Bahamas

Ukraine

(UA) Mariupol

KALELI ANA

7429322

04.11 14-00

04.11 17-00

3

Comoros

Turkey

(UA) Berdiansk

SAKAR

9104811

05.11 00-00

05.11 08-00

8

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

MARYLAND

8418758

05.11 10-00

05.11 14-00

4

Liberia

Estonia

(UA) Mariupol

NUR

9389370

05.11 17-00

06.11 14-00

21

Vanuatu

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

MILLAC

7208716

05.11 19-00

05.11 20-00

1

Comoros

Lebanon

(UA) Berdiansk

PEACE

9553983

05.11 19-00

06.11 13-00

18

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

SALVINIA

9419084

05.11 21-00

06.11 14-00

17

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

RAYES

8806151

07.11 03-00

07.11 18-00

15

Sierra Leone

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

ADASTAR

9151515

08.11 18-00

08.11 23-00

5

Liberia

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

SENATA

9451575

08.11 20-00

08.11 23-00

3

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

PHOENIX

9558490

09.11 16-00

11.11 17-00

49

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

FORTUNA

9118252

10.11 10-00

11.11 17-00

31

Barbados

Liberia

(UA) Mariupol

IBRAHIM KONAN

9306328

10.11 17-00

11.11 18-00

25

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

MATRIX

9454125

12.11 06-00

13.11 12-00

30

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

SOFIYA

8901585

12.11 07-00

12.11 12-00

5

Vanuatu

Greece

(UA) Mariupol

HILMI K

8101628

12.11 07-00

12.11 13-00

6

St Vincent and Grenadines

Greece

(UA) Berdiansk

HESEN M

8507470

11.11 13-00

11.11 18-00

5

Comoros

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

ISARTAL

8903105

12.11 19-00

13.11 12-00

17

Vanuatu

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

LADY AUGUSTA

9163568

13.11 03-00

13.11 12-00

9

Belize

Lebanon

(UA) Berdiansk

LUCKY BROTHER

7917006

13.11 10-00

13.11 11-00

1

Palau

Greece

(UA) Berdiansk

TULIP

9330434

14.11 04-00

14.11 18-00

14

Malta

Argentina

(UA) Mariupol

MANISA M

8918734

14.11 06-00

17.11 18-00

84

Cook Islands

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

BEHCET C

9503744

16.11 15-00

17.11 18-00

27

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

SVYATY PAVLO

8841357

14.11 17-00

14.11 19-00

2

Comoros

Ukraine

(UA) Mariupol

ARIF AMCA

9616084

16.11 20-00

17.11 18-00

22

Liberia

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

HAPPY WOLF

8207410

18.11 06-00

18.11 12-00

6

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

ESRA NUR

9045687

18.11 14-00

18.11 17-00

3

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

SANDRA

9549669

18.11 19-00

19.11 00-00

5

Liberia

Liberia

(UA) Mariupol

FLAMURI

9472713

18.11 21-00

19.11 14-00

17

Liberia

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

DEEB S

9203368

20.11 05-00

20.11 08-00

3

Belize

UAE

(UA) Mariupol

STELLINA

9674933

20.11 07-00

20.11 08-00

1

Malta

Switzerland

(UA) Mariupol

TRIUMPH IV

9311555

20.11 10-00

20.11 14-00

4

Moldova

UAE

(UA) Mariupol

SH EXPRESS

9085443

20.11 23-00

21.11 11-00

12

Palau

Greece

(UA) Berdiansk

SU

9116084

21.11 01-00

21.11 12-00

11

Barbados

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

FK SILA

8130851

22.11 00-00

22.11 11-00

11

Comoros

Greece

(UA) Berdiansk

HIKMET KARABEKIR

9421087

22.11 01-00

22.11 11-00

10

Panama

Marshall Is.

(UA) Mariupol

EVALUNA

9590773

22.11 10-00

22.11 17-00

7

Malta

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

INCHCAP

9084255

23.11 17-00

24.11 19-00

26

Honduras

Liberia

(UA) Mariupol

FOREST PARK

9640126

23.11 06-00

23.11 20-00

14

Liberia

UK

(UA) Mariupol

SMARTA

9396567

23.11 07-00

23.11 07-00

0

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

EGE BEY

9103013

23.11 09-00

23.11 20-00

11

Cook islands

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

SAM H

7810210

24.11 08-00

24.11 18-00

10

Comoros

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

PRINCESS MARIAM

7917018

24.11 10-00

24.11 19-00

9

Malta

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

LILY-HA

8116972

24.11 14-00

24.11 19-00

5

Togo

Lebanon

(UA) Berdiansk

HASAN G

9136852

24.11 23-00

25.11 18-00

19

Guyana

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

BOGDAN

9132492

25.11 04-00

25.11 11-00

7

Belize

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

SK FRIENDSHIP

8909446

26.11 00-00

26.11 11-00

11

Togo

UAE

(UA) Berdiansk

ENVAR

9098696

26.11 08-00

26.11 19-00

11

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupol

SALVINIA

9419084

26.11 07-00

26.11 18-00

11

Liberia

Austria

(UA) Mariupol

TZAREVICH

9145229

26.11 14-00

26.11 18-00

4

Malta

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

PHOENIX

9558490

29.11 04-00

30.11 15-00

35

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

SAKAR

9104811

30.11 20-00

01.12 13-00

17

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

= 60 total / 22 EU vessels

 

 

 

= 12.3 average / 11.1 EU

= 10 EU owners

= 20 EU owners

 

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

TZAREVNA

9145231

26.11 21-00

28.11 13-00

40

Malta

Bulgaria

(UA) Mariupol

AMIR BEY

9016155

26.11 22-00

28.11 13-00

39

Tanzania

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

FC HATICE

8520898

27.11 11-00

29.11 09-00

46

Comoros

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

KAN 2

9154268

27.11 13-00

30.11 11-00

70

Tuvalu

Lebanon

(UA) Mariupol

OBAHAN C

9748253

27.11 23-00

29.11 10-00

37

Panama

Turkey

(UA) Mariupo


 

2. In November 2021, 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 36.8 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. However, over the first 11 months of 2021, this figure has increased significantly to 39.4 hours per vessel and already exceeded those for 2019 and 2020.

Figure 2

In November 2021, a total of 69 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, 61 vessels have been taken into account. The remaining 8 vessels have been excluded from the calculations due to stormy weather, which led to their long delays.

Table 2. Artificial Delays of Vessels en Route From (UA) Mariupol and (UA) Berdiansk at the Exit from the Sea of Azov (November 2021)

Vessel Name

 

ІМО

Date and time of arrival

Date and time of departure

Duration, hrs

Flag

Shipowner's country

Destination

MAORI

9874208

01.11 11-00

02.11 10-00

23

Malta

Ukraine

(IT) Bari

TZAREVNA

9145231

02.11 01-00

02.11 11-00

10

Malta

Bulgaria

(IT) Marghera

NEW WAY

8857693

02.11 11-00

02.11 16-00

5

Moldova

Ukraine

(TR) Marmara

TZAREVICH

9145229

02.11 14-00

03.11 17-00

27

Malta

Bulgaria

(IT) Marghera

DAYTONA-H

8520836

02.11 16-00

03.11 17-00

25

Comoros

Lebanon

(CY) Famagusta

SVYATY PAVLO

8841357

03.11 05-00

04.11 15-00

34

Comoros

Ukraine

(TR) Diliskelesi

EKMEN

9136888

03.11 08-00

04.11 14-00

30

Panama

Turkey

(GR) Kalamos I.

DOGANAY

8876584

03.11 12-00

04.11 14-00

26

Cook islands

Turkey

(GR) Thessaloniki

SEVIL

9148518

04.11 05-00

04.11 14-00

9

St.Kitts and Nevis

Turkey

(BG) Burgas

SOPHIA I

9546007

04.11 14-00

05.11 11-00

21

Liberia

Austria

(IT) Marghera

SARA

9259020

05.11 23-00

07.11 08-00

33

St. Kitts and Nevis

Azerbaijan

(TR) Iskenderun

MYSIA

9338670

06.11 01-00

06.11 01-00

0

Malta

Turkey

(TR) Gemlik

GOLDEN SEA

9173355

06.11 11-00

07.11 15-00

28

Panama

Egypt

(IT) Bari

KARRUCA

9216470

06.11 19-00

07.11 15-00

20

Turkey

Turkey

(ES) Sevilla

ALI A

7915307

06.11 20-00

07.11 15-00

19

Togo

Greece

(TN) Bizerte

TURKAN SAYLAN

9250945

06.11 23-00

07.11 15-00

16

Malta

Turkey

(ES) Sagunto

KAREWOOD BRAVE

9281516

07.11 11-00

07.11 21-00

10

Bahamas

Ukraine

(TR) Bandirma

SELECTA

9424807

07.11 16-00

08.11 14-00

22

Liberia

Austria

(IT) Marghera

ADA ZEYNEP

8947876

07.11 17-00

08.11 14-00

21

Vanuatu

Turkey

(RO) TULCEA

ZEKO Y

8027573

08.11 00-00

12.11 16-00

112

Tanzania

Lebanon

(LB) Beirut

KALELI ANA

7429322

08.11 10-00

12.11 17-00

103

Comoros

Turkey

(IT) Ravenna

MEDUSA S

7726213

08.11 10-00

12.11 16-00

102

Togo

Turkey

(TR) Samsun

LILY-HA

8116972

09.11 06-00

12.11 17-00

83

Togo

Lebanon

(TR) Izmir

SAKAR

9104811

09.11 07-00

13.11 08-00

97

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(IT) Marghera

KAREWOOD PRIDE

9281499

09.11 14-00

12.11 16-00

74

Bahamas

Ukraine

(TR) Bandirma

VENTURE

9030503

09.11 21-00

12.11 23-00

74

Antigua and Barbuda

Turkey

(ES) Sevilla

PEACE

9553983

10.11 05-00

13.11 08-00

75

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(IT) Monfalcone

MILLAC

7208716

10.11 17-00

13.11 09-00

64

Comoros

Lebanon

(LB) Beirut

MARYLAND

8418758

11.11 03-00

13.11 09-00

54

Liberia

Estonia

(IT) Ravenna

SALVINIA

9419084

11.11 12-00

13.11 08-00

44

Liberia

Austria

(IT) Marghera

SENATA

9451575

11.11 20-00

13.11 15-00

43

Liberia

Austria

(IT) Monfalcone

RAYES

8806151

12.11 16-00

13.11 15-00

23

Sierra Leone

Lebanon

(LB) Beirut

NAZMI C

9577769

13.11 03-00

13.11 15-00

12

Panama

Turkey

(IT) Monfalcone

NUR

9389370

13.11 14-00

13.11 22-00

8

Vanuatu

Turkey

(TR) Iskenderun

ADASTAR

9151515

14.11 21-00

18.11 08-00

83

Liberia

Turkey

(IT) Marghera

IBRAHIM KONAN

9306328

15.11 01-00

18.11 08-00

79

Panama

Turkey

(TR) Nemrut Bay

VALMIERA

8203660

17.11 16-00

18.11 15-00

23

Comoros

Marshall Islands

(TR) Trabzon

PHOENIX

9558490

18.11 01-00

18.11 14-00

13

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

(TR) Eregli

FORTUNA

9118252

18.11 06-00

18.11 21-00

15

Barbados

Liberia

(EG) Abu Kir

ISARTAL

8903105

18.11 08-00

18.11 22-00

14

Vanuatu

Turkey

(GE) Poti

LADY AUGUSTA

9163568

18.11 18-00

19.11 18-00

24

Belize

Lebanon

(LB) Tripoli

HILMI K

8101628

19.11 03-00

19.11 18-00

15

St Vincent and Grenadines

Greece

(TR) Martas

SOFIYA

8901585

19.11 03-00

19.11 18-00

15

Vanuatu

Greece

(TR) Iskenderun

SVYATY PAVLO

8841357

20.11 02-00

21.11 21-00

43

Comoros

Ukraine

(TR) Izmir

MATRIX

9454125

20.11 08-00

21.11 14-00

30

Panama

Turkey

(TR) Izmir

ARIF AMCA

9616084

20.11 16-00

21.11 14-00

22

Liberia

Turkey

(TR) Derince

MANISA M

8918734

20.11 23-00

21.11 14-00

15

Cook Islands

Turkey

(IT) Ravenna

TULIP

9330434

21.11 13-00

21.11 21-00

8

Malta

Argentina

(SD) Port Sudan

SANDRA

9549669

21.11 23-00

22.11 14-00

15

Liberia

Liberia

(IT) Marghera

ESRA NUR

9045687

22.11 16-00

25.11 00-00

56

Panama

Turkey

(TR) Izmir

LUCKY BROTHER

7917006

22.11 17-00

24.11 23-00

54

Palau

Greece

(TR) Mersin

VICTRESS

9030498

22.11 18-00

22.11 19-00

1

Panama

Turkey

(TR) Derince

BEHCET C

9503744

23.11 15-00

24.11 23-00

32

Panama

Turkey

(IT) Marghera

FLAMURI

9472713

24.11 11-00

25.11 15-00

28

Liberia

Turkey

(TR) Karasu

HESEN M

8507470

24.11 18-00

25.11 15-00

21

Comoros

Lebanon

(EG) Alexandria

STELLINA

9674933

25.11 03-00

25.11 14-00

11

Liberia

Switzerland

(IT) Marghera

HIKMET KARABEKIR

9421087

25.11 06-00

25.11 15-00

9

Panama

Marshall Is.

(TR) Yarimca

EVALUNA

9590773

25.11 10-00

25.11 15-00

5

Malta

Bulgaria

(TR) Istanbul

HAPPY WOLF

8207410

25.11 10-00

28.11 10-00

72

Panama

Turkey

(TR) Bandirma

DEEB S

9203368

26.11 02-00

01.12 15-00

133

Belize

UAE

(LY) Darnah

SH EXPRESS

9085443

26.11 19-00

05.12 08-00

205

Palau

Greece

(TR) Izmir

= 61 total / 33 EU vessels

 

 

 

= 39.1 average / 36.8 EU

= 10 EU owners

= 16 EU owners

= 24 EU ports

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

SAM H

7810210

27.11 08-00

02.12 13-00

125

Comoros

Lebanon

(TR) Samsun

TRIUMPH IV

9311555

27.11 10-00

01.12 15-00

101

Moldova

UAE

(TN) Kebili

VICTRESS

9030498

27.11 10-00

02.12 09-00

119

Panama

Turkey

(TR) Derince

SMARTA

9396567

27.11 18-00

30.11 19-00

73

Liberia

Austria

(IT) Monfalcone

LILY-HA

8116972

28.11 11-00

02.12 14-00

99

Togo

Lebanon

Lebanon

ENVAR

9098696

29.11 10-00

02.12 15-00

77

Panama

Turkey

(TR) Kocaeli

FK SILA

8130851

30.11 12-00

02.12 15-00

51

Comoros

Greece

(TR) Samsun

SALVINIA

9419084

30.11 22-00

05.12 08-00

134

Liberia

Austria

(TR)Erdemir

 


 

Thus, of the 61 vessels listed, 33 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 39.1 hours per vessel, and for vessels related to EU countries – almost the same – 36.8 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 November 2021, 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.

Figure 4

* * *

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

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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.