The Ukraine Crisis
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict that began in 2014. Russian now controls the Azov Sea and occupies the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol. It has also blockaded all Ukrainian Black Sea ports which are currently closed to all shipping. This category includes all aspects of the conflict affecting ports – port status and alternative export routes. (Updated 24.06.2022)
Russia-North Korea ferry service to reopen
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) February 13, 2024 – Desperate for North Korean munitions and missiles for its ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia might reopen...
Renewed Russian drone attacks against Ukraine’s Danube ports
Izmail, Ukraine (Ports Europe) February 12, 2024 – Russia again attacked with Iranian-made drones during the night of February 10 Ukrainian Danube River...
Shipping companies delivering ammunition to Russia to be sanctioned
Brussels, Belgium (Ports Europe) February 9, 2024 – The European Union has proposed sanctioning about 55 companies and more than 60 individuals as part...
Russia-occupied Ukrainian Azov Sea ports increase capacity
Mariupol, Ukraine (Ports Europe) February 9, 2024 – In 2024, the total capacity of Ukraine’s Azov Sea ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk, currently occupied...
Georgian President criticizes Russia’s naval base in Abkhazia
Tbilisi, Georgia (Ports Europe) February 6, 2024 – Pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili again denounced Russian plan, first announced in...
Update: Cargo drop in Ukraine’s Danube ports after the Black Sea reopened
Kyiv, Ukraine (Ports Europe) February 6, 2024 – Ukraine’s Danube River ports handled almost 6.5 times more cargo in 2023, compared to the 5 million tonnes...
UNCTAD alarm about Red and Black Seas and Panama Canal
Geneva, Switzerland (Ports Europe) January 27, 2024 – The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has raised profound concerns over...
Oil refinery in Russia’s Tuapse port attacked
Tuapse, Russia (PortSEurope) January 27, 2024 – The successful Ukrainian drone attack on January 25 against the oil refinery at Russia’s Black Sea port of...
New delay for the delayed Taman ammonia terminal
Taman, Russia (Ports Europe) January 26, 2024 – The launch of Russia’s first and only ammonia and mineral fertilisers transshipment complex in the Black...
Ukraine to impose 50 years ban on transport links with Russia
Kyiv, Ukraine (Ports Europe) January 23, 2024 – Ukraine wants to impose a 50-year ban on all transportation links with Russia. The long-expected...
Finally, a mine-clearing agreement for the Black Sea by three NATO members
Istanbul, Turkey (PortSEurope) January 12, 2024 – NATO members and Black Sea littoral states Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria have signed an agreement for a...
New grain warehouses in Izmail port
Izmail, Ukraine (PortSEurope) January 8, 2024 – Swiss-registered Harvest Commodities has invested in the construction of grain warehouses in Ukraine’s...
China and India bought 90% of Russian oil in 2023
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) January 7, 2024 – China’s share in Russia’s export of oil and petroleum products in 2023 was 50%, while India...
Could Ukraine strike Novorossiysk port again?
Kyiv, Ukraine (PortSEurope) January 5, 2024 – Military and political commentators in Ukraine are intensifying talks about attacks on Russia’s largest port...
New unconfirmed report about a sea mine hitting a cargo ship in the Black Sea
Izmail, Ukraine (Ports Europe) December 29, 2023 – The Panama-flagged Greek-operated bulk carrier Vyssos was reportedly hit a floating sea mine close to...
Ukrainian ports defy war and difficulties in 2023
Odesa, Ukraine (Ports Europe) December 28, 2023 – The total cargo turnover of all Ukrainian ports in 2023 is expected to be 57 million tonnes. This is...
Russia lost the Black Sea and one more ship,Ukrainian ports busy
Feodosia, Ukraine (Ports Europe) December 26, 2023 – Russian Navy’s Novocherkassk large landing ship, berthed in Feodosia port on the southern coast of...
Minesweeper expected today in Port of Constanta, Romania
Constanța, Romania (Ports Europe) December 19, 2023 – The minesweeper “Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu”, an M 270 minehunter, is expected today...
Azov Sea as a Russian lake
Moscow, Russia (Ports Europe) December 11, 2023 – A bill has been submitted to the lower house of Russia’s State Duma (parliament) to consolidate the...
First non-grain, U.S.-managed ship since the start of war delivered pipes in Ukraine
Erie, United States (Ports Europe) December 9, 2023 – The first non-grain, U.S.-managed ship successfully delivered and unloaded at Ukraine’s Black Sea...