Two Shipping Lines Suspend Service to Russia's Black Sea Ports
Facing an onslaught of Ukrainian drone attacks, Russian state shipping company Fesco and Turkish regional operator Kalyon have halted all sailings in the Black Sea, putting a stop to a substantial segment of the logistics network for Russian ports in the region. The suspension of Fesco's services is expected to significantly limit Russia's imports of goods from East Asia through Novorossiysk, forcing these cargoes to move overland by rail from the Far East or to pass through St. Petersburg.
The announcement follows three recent casualties - the loss of the Fesco container ship Yanina on Saturday, an attack on the boxship LDR Yasar, and a drone strike on the Turkish ro/ro freighter Nadezhda off Novorossiysk. The attack on Nadezhda hit the accommodations block, seriously injuring three crewmembers.
Kalyon said that out of concern for the safety of its seafarers and the risk to their lives, it has temporarily suspended all voyages on Russian routes. Its employees share these concerns, the company said. "Due to the current security conditions, the great majority of ship crews have notified us that they do not wish to continue their duties, and this situation has rendered operational sustainability effectively impossible," explained Kalyon.
Turkey's foreign ministry has issued a call to both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war to stop targeting merchant ships.
"We are deeply concerned that the war between Russia and Ukraine is spreading further into the Black Sea, also affecting civilian vessels, despite all our warnings. Unless preventive measures are taken, the escalation in the Black Sea will have multifaceted negative repercussions, including for food security," the ministry said in a statement.
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On the Ukrainian side of the Black Sea, merchant shipping has all but come to a halt under steady pressure from Russian drone and missile strikes, which have damaged both vessels and port infrastructure around the Odesa region. The shutdown has significant implications for Ukrainian grain and steel exports, with corresponding effects on GDP and tax revenue needed for the war effort.
Both sides are feeling the effects of the counter-shipping strikes. Ukraine's persistent attacks on Russian tankers have cut crude oil loadings in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea ports by more than 60 percent, according to BIMCO. CPC loadings of Kazakh oil have also dropped by about 60 percent, the association assesses.
