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).

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	Owner	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

 

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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.

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	Owner	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

 

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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.

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.

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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.