“Grey” ship calls: a fleet that does not shy away from Russian ports arrives in Izmail

At the end of June, Ukrainian journalists and researchers located the ships that had visited Russian ports before entering Ukrainian ports.

USM decided to find out whether ships that were in the port of Izmail or going to/from it entered the ports of the aggressor country this year (information as of the beginning of July).

So, the bulk carrier Bella Nadia (flag — Guinea-Bissau) was anchored in the Russian port of Kavkaz from February 15 to 28. Already in four months, the ship arrived in Izmail, and stood there from June 30 to July 8. Then the bulk carrier with 11,288 tons of wheat departed from the Dunaisudnoremont terminal in Izmail.

The owner of the ship is the Lebanese company Angela Shipping Ltd.

Bella Nadia.

Dry cargo ship Hazar S (Panama flag) visited the port of Novorossiysk three times since the beginning of the year: from January 29 to February 3, from February 15 to March 17, and also from March 26 to 29.

The ship was in Izmail on July 4-9, where it received cargo and went to Turkey.

The owner of the vessel is Hazar Maritime Transport Co, the manager is Oras Denizcilik Ve Ticaret Ltd.

The Tuvalu-flagged dry cargo ship Kan 2 was in the port of Tuapse on February 11-13, from February 27 to March 8, and in the port of Kavkaz from February 28 to March 16 and April 3-15.

The ship arrived in Izmail on July 2, from where it left for Turkey on July 7.

The owner and manager of the vessel is the Liberian Akn Shipping Ltd.

Kan 2.

Bulk carrier A Line (flag – Barbados) was in Novorossiysk on February 9-12, in Tuapse – on March 22-24, April 9-11 and April 20. The ship owner is Is Shipping Ltd, the manager is Iskele Denizcilik Ticaret Ltd (both Turkish companies).

The vessel has been in Izmail since July 5. The last time it exported cargo from Ukraine was on December 23 last year — 11,500 tons of wheat from the Odessa State Silo terminal in the port of Odesa.

Aya is a dry cargo under the flag of Panama. He was in Novorossiysk on February 1-10 and March 14-17. The owner of the ship is Linhai Shipping Co Ltd, the manager is Milestone Gemi Islet Ve Acente (Turkey).

Aya has been in Izmail since July 1, on the 6th he left the Izmail MTP with 5,500 barley.

Prior to that, the vessel was in Izmail on May 9, when it exported 5,497 thousand tons of corn from the Dunaisudnoremont terminal.

Aya.

Bulk carrier KLC Erciyes (flag — Barbados) last exported 12.5 thousand tons of soybeans from Odesa on January 27. The bulk carrier visited Tuapse from February 12 to March 16, as well as April 4-12. The owner is Erciyes Shipping Co., the manager is Iskele Denizcilik Ticaret Ltd (Turkey).

The ship arrived in Izmail on June 30, where it was as of July 6.

SNP Space — a bulk carrier under the flag of Barbados — was in Novorossiysk on February 12-13 and from May 16 to 20. Turkey’s North Snp Shipping Corp is the owner of the vessel, Sinop Shipping Corp is the manager.

From July 5 to 8, the ship was in Izmail, loaded and headed for Italy.

The tanker Metin Huseynov (Liberia flag) visited Novorossiysk on April 23-25, and Taman on May 17-19. The ship’s owner and manager is the odious Turkish company Palmali Gemilik Ve Acentelik.

The ship arrived in Izmail on July 3. On July 9, a tanker with 6,127 tons of sunflower oil left for Spain from the Danube Ship Service terminal, which is also the operator.

Metin Huseynov.

Dry cargo under the flag of Panama Kemal Kuru called Novorossiysk on January 15-17 and February 1-11. Owner — Zelek Shipping Ltd, manager — Fuden Denizcilik Ticaret (Turkey).

Also, the ship was repaired at the shipyard in Novorossiysk from February 2 to 5.

The dry cargo stayed in Izmail from July 3 to 10. The vessel last exported 3,208 tons of rapeseed from Izmail on April 24, also from the Dunaisud terminal

Baron (the flag of Turkey) is a dry cargo ship that was in Novorossiysk on January 10-19, and in Tuapse from April 6 to 13. The owner is Eos Denizcilik Danismanlik San, the manager is Armador Gemi Isletmeciligi (Turkey).

On July 14, a ship with 4,968 tons of wheat left the “Daunaysudnoremont” terminal in Izmail for Turkey.

The dry cargo CS Cihan under the flag of Liberia was undergoing repairs in Novorossiysk from April 3 to 5. Also, the ship was in Novorossiysk from April 15 to 19.

Owner — Tf Shipping Ltd, manager Cs Shipping & Trading Inc (Turkey).

The vessel has been in Izmail since July 7. According to the latest data, on November 24 last year, dry cargo exported 6,415 tons of soybeans from the TTG terminal in Chornomorsk.

Eyup is dry cargo under the flag of Panama. It was repaired in Novorossiysk from May 3 to 6.

The ship is owned by Eyuo Shipping Ltd, the manager is CVS Denizcilik Sanayi Ticaret Ltd (Turkey).

The ship arrived in Izmail on July 9, and on July 20 it departed with 6,820 tons of corn from the Danube Ship Service terminal.

Vanuatu-flagged dry cargo Nesa was in Novorossiysk from January 29 to February 11.

Owner and manager — North Wind Shipping SA (Marshall Islands).

Earlier, on March 27, the ship was transporting 2,007 tons of flour wheat from the cargo terminal of the “Kilia” port in the port of Ust-Dunaisk.

We deliberately mentioned only those ships that entered Russia from 2023. Because during the year of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, the world had time to watch how the Russians destroy our territories, infrastructure (including ports), residential buildings and, most importantly, people.

Our article featured four Russian ports: Novorossiysk, Tuapse, Taman and Kavkaz. According to the state-owned enterprise “Rosmorport”, these ports charge shipping, channel, pilotage, navigation, navigation, environmental fees, etc., depending on the enterprise.

Some of the vessels mentioned in this article went to Russian shipyards for repairs. Apparently, they also pay certain amounts for this service.

So, all these vessels this year paid for the manufacture and purchase of weapons for the destruction of Ukrainians by Russia. Shipowners and managers helped the Russian budget, along with docile Russians and companies that have not yet left the Russian market or stopped trading with the terrorist country.

USM does not blame Ukrainian ports for the actions of such vessels. Currently, Ukraine has found itself in a situation where the seaports are blocked again, and the closest partners are escaping from the influx of wagons and cars with Ukrainian goods. Currently, only the Danube ports can save Ukrainian exports (which means currency stability, prices, and food security both in Ukraine and in the world).

Therefore, Ukrainian companies can quickly coordinate ships that will take our grain to other countries, and not waste precious time on checking the history of annual ship calls of each bulk carrier, unfortunately. Perhaps there are also those entrepreneurs who knew that a certain ship was paying the port fee in the hands of Russians, stained with someone else’s blood, a few months ago. But in any case, it would not be objective to put all the blame on them.

Shipowners could take an example from global companies — Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE — that stopped ship calls to Russian ports. Ship operators and managers have had plenty of time to see how Russia uses funds, how it violates the customs of war and the principles of international law. But they all decided to continue feeding the dragon.

Most of the owners and managers of the mentioned vessels are Turkish companies. Turkey has already established its policy of neutrality and mediation in this war. But the line between neutrality and the financing of genocide, as we can see, is blurring.

Sources of information: MarineTraffic, Stark Shipping, Equasis, BlackSeaNews and “Institute of Black Sea Strategic Studies”.

Olga Horbenko.