Maersk Suspends Chornomorsk Service as Ukraine and Russia Increase Attacks
With both Russia and Ukraine intensifying attacks on the region’s ports and commercial shipping, Maersk on July 22 announced it was temporarily suspending its service to the port of Chornomorsk. It came after a deadly night, which saw several vessels reportedly struck, killing and injuring additional seafarers.
The major shipping companies had moved in 2024 and 2025 to restore container service to Ukraine after having stopped service at the start of the war. The carriers had been routing cargo through Romania and using barges on the Danube to maintain some services before the restoration of feeder service through Ukraine’s re-established shipping corridor.
Referencing the “current situation,” Maersk Ukraine issued the statement reporting that the vessel Medkon Mira (1,162 TEU) is diverting to Constanta, Romania. The Turkish-flagged feeder was coming from Port Said, Egypt, but will now land containers in Romania. Maersk is telling customers to contact it for rates for inland transportation between Ukraine and Romania, or that they can file a Change of Destination request for the cargo.
Ukrainian officials quickly emphasized that the port of Chornomorsk, however, remains open and is operating. This came despite reports that Russia overnight targeted the port. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had targeted a dry cargo vessel unloading at the port as well as military cargo and fuel storage tanks. It also claimed attacks on Odesa, saying a dry cargo ship and a bulk carrier were hit, along with three warehouses it claimed were housing Ukrainian drones. Russia asserts it is attacking military targets and ships carrying military supplies.
Ukraine aiding in the evacuation of the crew from the Turkish bulker set on fire (State Border Guard Service)
Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, however, asserted that Russia struck a bulk carrier named Golden Rose, a 9,900-dwt bulk carrier registered in Saint Kitts and Nevis that was set ablaze. The Border Guard detected a large fire after the vessel was struck in the stern and dispatched a rescue team. It reports 16 crewmembers, 14 from Egypt and two from Syria, were rescued without serious injury. Pictures, however, show the vessel fully engulfed in flames.
It comes after a series of Russian attacks on shipping, including striking the Golden Leo and killing 10 seafarers over the weekend. The vessel Venturo, registered in the Marshall Islands, was hit on July 17. Two ships were hit on July 14, killing the captain on one of the ships, and on July 13, Odesa was also struck.
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Ukraine is continuing its strikes targeting, it says, the energy exports and supplies to occupied Crimea. In the past 48 hours, commanders said another 13 vessels were struck in the Sea of Azov. While Ukraine has not acknowledged casualties, Turkish officials reported that a vessel, Reyhan Sari (36,075 dwt), carrying coal from the Port of Taman in the Sea of Azov, was among those hit. They said one crewmember was killed and three others injured. They were taken ashore, and the vessel was able to continue its voyage.
Both sides appear to be continuing to escalate the attacks. Ukraine claims to have hit well over 150 vessels in the two weeks of its campaign. Reports, however, said that Russia also unleashed missile attacks on the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Mykolaiv. The attacks come as grain shipments were expected to increase as the growing season progresses, but now there are reports that shippers are considering moving exports back to the Danube based on the continuing attacks on the main ports.
