Shipowners began to refuse voyages to Ukraine
20.07.2023 - 16:20
Shipowners do not want to send ships to Ukraine, because Russia threatens to attack the merchant fleet in the Black Sea.
As USM learned, shipowners are consulting with insurance companies regarding the safety of access to Ukrainian ports.
Some owners are already canceling flights to Romania and Bulgaria.
Shipowners explain their decisions by the desire to ensure the safety of crews and vessels.
We will remind, on July 17, Russia announced that it was withdrawing from the Istanbul Agreements, within the limits of which ships could deliver Ukrainian grain from the ports of Greater Odessa through the “grain corridor”.
The Russian Federation also revoked the guarantees of shipping safety and declared the northwestern part of the Black Sea “dangerous”.
Later, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that they would consider ships going to Ukrainian ports as military targets.
It is unlikely that Russia will resort to attacks on civilian vessels flying foreign flags, but shipowners do not want to check this, risking the lives of naval personnel.
