80 merchant ships of different states have been accumulated in the ports of Ukraine

Ukrainian sea ports have practically suspended cargo operations

As of March 3, 2022, 80 merchant ships under the flags of different states have been accumulated in the commercial seaports of Ukraine. This was reported by the press service of the state enterprise “Administration of the Sea Ports of Ukraine”.

“In connection with armed aggression of Russian Federation and the increased threat of incidents related to port facilities and ships, for the period of martial law introduced by order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated February 25, 2022 No. 183-r from 24.02. 2022, the 3rd (highest) level of protection of port facilities and ships has been established in the sea and river ports of Ukraine,” the message says.

In this regard, Ukrainian commercial seaports have practically suspended cargo operations.

Entrance and exit to Ukrainian ports are closed due to mine danger, as well as because of the threat of piracy from the ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation in the Black and Azov Seas.

Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the following crimes have been committed:

March 3rd. The ship HELT (Panama flag) was fired upon and received a hole below the waterline. The last report from the ship was “70-degree incline, we are boarding the rafts”. At 12:18 HELT disappeared from radar.

March 2nd. A missile attack was made on the motor ship Banglar Samriddhi (flag of Bangladesh) on the roadstead of the port of Olvia. The rocket hit the superstructure. There was a fire on the ship. It was extinguished by the tugboats. One crew member, a citizen of Bangladesh, died.

March 1st. On the roadstead of the Nikolaev port, two aggressor missiles hit the tugboat of the Nibulon company. There was a fire that was successfully extinguished.

February 27th. The aggressor captured and escorted two Ukrainian ships: the tanker “Athena” and the dry cargo ship “Princess Nicole”. There are about 50 civilian crew members on both ships.

February 26th. During a humanitarian mission around Zmeiny Island, Russian warships seized the rescue ship “Sapphire”.

February 25th. The aggressor fired on 2 foreign ships: NAMURA QUEEN (Panama flag) and MILLENNIUM SPIRIT bunker (Moldova flag) on the roadsteads in front of the ports of Pivdenny and Odessa. There was a fire that, if it exploded, could have led to an environmental disaster.

In Ukraine there are 13 commercial seaports, apart from Crimea. Fighting takes close to Berdyansk, Mariupol, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Skadovsky commercial seaports. In 2021 they represented 26.7% cargo transshipment volumes in Ukraine. In the port of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian sailors sank their frigate Hetman Sahaidachny so that it would not fall into the hands of Russian troops.

According to mass-media, there are no critical damages to the port infrastructure in the seaports of Ukraine.

As GMK Center reported, on February 24, the Verkhovna Rada approved by 300 votes decree No. 64/2022 “On the introduction of martial law in Ukraine.” Martial law is introduced from 5:30 on February 24 for 30 days.

On the morning of February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched direct military aggression against Ukraine.