Temporary corridors were announced August 10th for merchant vessels going to/from the ports of Ukraine.

According to the order of the navigation order of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine No. 6 dated 08.08.2023, new temporary routes for the movement of civilian vessels to/from the Black Sea seaports of Ukraine were announced. At the same time, it is reported that there is a military threat and mine danger from the Russian Federation along all routes.

Previously, these routes were already proposed by Ukraine in an appeal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Council of the International Maritime Organization recognized Ukraine’s right to free commercial navigation, which is guaranteed by international maritime law.

The International Maritime Organization called on Russia to adhere to international conventions and stop threats to commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

The indicated routes will primarily be used for the possibility of leaving civilian ships that have been in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdenny since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia on February 24, 2022.

Vessels whose owners/captains officially confirm that they are ready to sail in the current conditions will be allowed to pass through the routes.

We will remind that the last ship with Ukrainian food left the port of Odesa on July 16. After Russia’s withdrawal from the Grain Agreement, the aggressor state attacked the port’s grain infrastructure in order to stop the access of Ukrainian food to world markets. World leaders, including African countries, called on Russia to stop blackmailing with food and not to hinder Ukrainian agricultural exports.