Russian leader Vladimir Putin has threatened Turkish and Greek tankers that make up more than half of all calls to Odesa, reports Kiev's Ukrainska Pravda.
The Monitoring Group at the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies said 266 vessels arrived at or departed from Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi in October, the highest monthly total this year despite repeated Russian strikes. Its head, Andrii Klymenko, said Turkey and Greece accounted for 53.8 per cent of arrivals, with Turkish-flag ships providing 107 calls, or 40.2 per cent, and Greek-flag vessels 36, or 13.5 per cent.
Vessels from Lebanon and the Marshall Islands followed, while nine ships flew the Ukrainian flag. Klymenko said Russia has tried to destroy port and riverside infrastructure across Odesa Oblast, yet monthly merchant traffic has remained above 200 for a prolonged period, indicating Moscow has failed to choke off maritime access.
The institute noted that traffic continued despite casualties among dockers and seafarers and repeated damage to facilities and vessels. Recent incidents include fires on two sanctioned tankers off Turkey on 28 November, reportedly struck in a special Ukrainian security operation, and explosions damaging the Mersin, a Russia-linked tanker, off Senegal.
On December 2, the Russian tanker Midvolga-2 was attacked 80 miles off Turkey's coast while sailing from Russia to Georgia. President Putin subsequently vowed to intensify attacks on Ukrainian ports and inbound vessels following drone strikes on Russian tankers.
Mr Klymenko earlier said Russia likely struck a gas tanker in the port of Izmail on the night of November 16 to deter shipowners serving Ukraine. That drone attack damaged port assets and several civilian ships, including a Turkish-flagged liquefied gas tanker that suffered a large fire. Its crew of 16 was safely evacuated.
https://www.shippingazette.com/news?news_id=9251200000209
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