Sixty-eight foreign vessels currently remain blocked in Ukrainian seaports due to the Russian Federation’s armed aggression and its blocking of maritime trade routes.
The Ukrainian Seaports Authority (USPA) announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.
In particular, according to the USPA, 19 out of the 68 vessels were supposed to carry agricultural products.
As for the situation with the ports located in the territory temporarily occupied by Russian troops, eight ships remained blocked in Kherson and six in Mariupol.
According to the USPA’s head Vitalii Kindratov, 94 foreign-flagged vessels were reportedly unable to leave Ukrainian ports as of March 13 due to blockades by the Russian occupiers.
The Russians could take some of the ships out of the ports arbitrarily. Back in March, it was reported that the occupiers had removed several ships from the port of Berdiansk to free up berths for their logistical needs.
In addition, after the capture of Mariupol, the occupiers announced plans to reopen the local port and began preparing for the export of properties looted in Ukraine to Russia. Against this backdrop, the Russian media have reported that only two foreign-flagged ships are left in the port.
