MSC Suspends Novorossiysk Container Service as Attacks Continue
With attacks in the Black Sea having widened to container shipping, MSC has reportedly suspended bookings for the port of Novorossiysk, Russia. Bloomberg saw a customer alert and received confirmation from MSC’s St. Petersburg office after reports that one of the company’s vessels was struck in the Black Sea.
The containership MSC Ulsan III was struck by a drone, reports Martin Kelly, Head of Advisory at EOS Risk Group. He writes that the ship had departed Novorossiysk bound for Turkey when it was struck on August 25. There were no reports of injuries, and the ship was continuing on its voyage.
AIS signals show the MSC Ulsan III (39,611 dwt) has reached the Sea of Marmara and is off Tekirdag, Turkey. Built in 2004, the ship has a capacity of 2,700 TEU and has operated for MSC since 2022.
MSC is telling customers to contact its Russian agency for information about possible logistical alternatives, including its operations at St. Petersburg. It says it is monitoring the situation but not accepting bookings until conditions allow the resumption of regular weekly service.
It follows a series of attacks on containerships as Ukraine widens the war on Novorossiysk. Furthermore, it struck the oil terminal earlier in the month, but reportedly agreed to stop striking international tankers heading to or loading at the Caspian CPC offshore terminal near Novorossiysk. There are also reports that some of the grain terminals in the port suspended operations.
The Ukrainian News Agency last week reported a strike on the Turkish shipping company Akkon Lines' vessel RMS Team (12,968 dwt). The vessel, which has a capacity of about 1,100 TEU, was struck by a drone on August 21 while heading to Novorossiysk. A fire broke out, and one seafarer was reported missing.
At the beginning of the month, the attacks on containerships began with the strike on a vessel operated by Fesco, a division of Rosatom. The containership Yanina (13,000 dwt) was struck by two drones while it was approximately 130 miles from Novorossiysk and sank. Fesco and Turkish regional operator Kalyon have halted all sailings in the Black Sea after the attack.
Ukraine has also been targeting shipping for grain. It claims attacks on five grain carriers on August 17 and 18 at Novorossiysk and Tuapse.
These attacks followed Russian strikes on shipping in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. Russia claims to be targeting ships carrying military supplies. Maersk, on July 22, announced it was temporarily suspending its service to the port of Chornomorsk due to the security concerns at the port. It was diverting vessels to Romania and exploring overland shipping for deliveries. Hapag-Lloyd followed on July 31, announcing that its feeder operators have temporarily suspended calls to the Ukrainian Black Sea ports. Container shipping had been restored to Ukraine in 2024 after stopping at the start of the war two years earlier.
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The new suspensions come as efforts to stop the targeting of commercial shipping have failed. Russia reportedly rejected calls from Turkey for a de-escalation after several Turkish vessels were hit and crewmembers injured or killed. Ukraine reportedly offered a bilateral ceasefire on commercial shipping, but Russia continues to insist it is striking ships carrying military equipment.
Top photo by Captain M. Jendi - courtesy of Vessel Finder
