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With more than 1,000 crew stranded on ships in Ukrainian ports and food supplies running low, the United Nations is pressing for their safe passage out of danger. However, maritime sources say security risks and disagreements are preempting those efforts,
Russian forces took control of waterways when it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, in what Moscow calls a “special operation”. Since then, at least 100 foreign flagged ships with over 1,000 seafarers have been stuck inside Ukrainian ports with food supplies running low.
UN shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said this month it would seek to create a safe maritime corridor to enable merchant ships and their crews to sail out of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov without the risk of being hit.
In recent days Turkish and Romanian military diving teams have been involved in defusing stray mines around their waters. An ICS spokesperson said it was trying to deliver provisions to affected vessels, “which are in grave danger of running out of food in the coming days as well as ensuring that vessels are not targeted for any kinetic strikes by any party”.
Five merchant vessels have been hit by projectiles – with one of them sunk – off Ukraine’s coast with two seafarers killed. London’s marine insurance market has widened the area of waters it considers high risk in the region.
Source: reuters.com
Photo source: Dreamstime.com
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