Dryad Global: Black Sea, Bosphorus & Sea of Asov
REUTERS/Stringer/+ another source
On the morning of the 24th February, 2022 Russian forces are understood to have commenced operations within Ukraine this is understood to have included blocking access to the Sea of Azov.
At this time, Dryad Global advises all commercial operators to avoid any transit or operations within the EEZ of Ukraine or Russia in the Black Sea. Commercial operations within the EEZ of Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania remain unaffected at this time.
As the situation develops there remains a high degree of uncertainty regarding the freedom of navigation throughout the wider Black Sea. The primary risk to all vessels and commercial operations beyond the key risk area is commercial uncertainty rather than risk to the safety of the crew. Vessels and commercial operators are reminded to avoid all operations and transit within the EEZ of Russia and Ukraine at this time.
On another Reuters said Ukraine’s military has suspended operations at its ports after Russian forces invaded the country by land and sea, an adviser to the president’s chief of staff said on Thursday, as concerns grew about the flow of supplies from one of the world’s top exporters of grains and oilseeds.
Russia had earlier suspended movement of commercial vessels in the Azov sea until further notice, but kept Russian ports in the Black Sea open for navigation, its officials and five-grain industry sources said.
The Black Sea, and specifically Crimea, serves as a springboard for Russia to project military power in places like Georgia, Ukraine, and even places as far away as Syria and Libya. For example, Russia has used its Black Sea presence on occupied Crimea to launch and support naval operations in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
In the early days of Moscow’s intervention in Syria, the Moskva, a Russian navy-guided missile cruiser, played a vital role in providing air defense for Russian forces. Hundreds of thousands of tons of grain and wheat have been shipped from Crimea to Syria to help the Assad Regime’s food shortage problems. Hundreds of trips have been made between Crimea’s port city of Sevastopol and the Russian naval base in Tartus, Syria to transport military hardware and resupplies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized “a special military operation” against Ukraine on Thursday to eliminate what he called a serious threat, saying his aim was to demilitarise Russia’s southern neighbor. read more
“The market is still struggling to get a clear picture about the actual military situation on the ground. The ports in the Azov and the Black Sea so far seem not to have been damaged according to the initial shipping agency reports,” one European grain trader said.
