Ukraine’s Berdyansk port falls to the invading Russia; Mariupol port is surrounded

Berdyansk, Ukraine (Ports Europe) February 28 – Ukraine's second largest Azov Sea port, Berdyansk, has been occupied by invading Russian forces as of February 27. Berdyansk is mostly used for exports of coal, grain, sunflower-seed oil, iron and other commodities. Five days after the start of Russian invasion in Ukraine, it seems that the Azov Sea will most likely become a Russian lake under Moscow’s full control. For Ukraine it means losing the two strategic Azov Sea ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk. Mariupol is now surrounded by Russian troops and is being subjected to shelling and attacks. Its capture has been a major objective for Moscow because it is key to establishing a land bridge linking western Russia and Crimea, occupied by Russia since 2014. In the meantime, the Russian Navy started has started capturing Ukrainian ships in Azov and Black Seas, with six such cases being reported so far In January, dredging works have started in Berdyansk that aimed to maintain the passport characteristics of the approach channel and the berths, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration (USPA) said. This is part of a policy to upgrade and develop the country's Black and Azov Sea ports. About 500,000 m³ of soil (400,000 m³ in the approach channel and 100,000 m³ in the berths area) were to be removed from the seabed by May. After Berdyansk, the same deepening works will be implemented in Ukrainian biggest Azov Sea port, Mariupol. Dredging works in Berdyansk port might be also related to the plans to construct a new naval base there to defend the coast against possible Russian attacks, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov said in December 2021. The Sea of Azov is a shallow inland body of water smaller than Lake Michigan bordered by Russia and Ukraine. According to Andrey Klymenko, editor-in-chief of BlackSeaNews, in the sea there are almost four times more Russian ships than Ukrainian. And since there is no border at sea, the Russian fleet can get as close to the Ukrainian coast as it wants. A Washington Post article claims that the coastline of Azov has more strategic and economic value for Russia than the eastern border regions of Ukraine. Ukrainian land along the sea is what separates mainland Russia from annexed Crimea. The Azov Sea, a rich fishing ground in Soviet times has been of great strategic importance to an independent Ukraine. Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said last year that Russia dictates the situation in the Sea of Azov and uses the area as a war theatre. “In terms of security, the Sea of Azov is dominated by Russia,” Kuleba told the Washington Post. “And in case of war, it will be heavily used by them to put pressure on our southern cities on the Azov shore”, he added. Ukrainian ports in Azov Sea have experienced steep cuts in cargo handling since construction of the Kerch Strait bridge, which opened in May 2018. According to Ukrainian sources, because of the low height of the bridge, 144 ships that rise taller than its 33 m clearance cannot reach its ports, resulting in a 30% loss in revenues for the port. In 2019, Berdyansk (Berdiansk) port, ongoing works on its berths 1 and 2, include repairs of reinforced concrete slabs, cement-concrete and asphalt coatings, new wheel bales, metal corners along the border of berths and other works. Ukraine, invaded by Russia on February 24, became transport-wise, a landlocked country after Russia blocked the Azov Sea, and Ukraine closed all its Black Sea ports for commercial shipping. Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest grain and metals exporter with its corn sold to Europe and China, while its wheat is bought by the Middle East countries, North Africa, Turkey, and many others. Ukrainian grain export (Black Sea) ports are Odessa (Odesa), Chornomorsk (Chernomorsk), Yuzhny (Juzhni), Mikolayiv and Kherson through which up to 6 million tonnes of grain (mostly corn, but also wheat and barley) reach world markets. Russia and Ukraine combined supply 29% of global wheat exports, mostly through their Black Sea ports. Ukraine also exports half of the global sunflower oil! It provides some 10% of Europe’s imported steel. Some 60% of Ukraine’s ferrous metals that are exported by sea go through country’s Black Sea ports of Odessa, Pivdennyi, Mykolayiv (Nikolaev) and Chornomorsk. 20% of the ferrous metals’ exports go via Mariupol. Ukraine can still use Danube River for water transport towards Europe. More Ports Europe news about the Ukrainian crisis More Ports Europe news about Port of Berdyansk Copyright (C) Ports Europe. All Rights Reserved. 2022.

Ukraine’s Berdyansk port falls to the invading Russia; Mariupol port is surrounded

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Ukraine’s Berdyansk port falls to the invading Russia; Mariupol port is surrounded

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All news

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