A working group tasked with organizing, planning, and coordinating the clearing of mines from Ukraine's port infrastructure, inland waterways, territorial sea, and exclusive maritime economic zone has held its first meeting.
Yevhen Ihnatenko, the head of Ukraine’s State Service for Maritime and Inland Water Transport and Shipping, announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports.
Waterways, territories, water areas, and infrastructure for maritime transport and transportation on inland waterways are still contaminated with explosive objects. The quantities and types of explosive devices, as well as the areas from which they must be removed, are constantly increasing.
"Over the past two years, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine has conducted targeted explosive ordnance surveys along certain key shipping lanes. Mine clearance is ongoing," Ihnatenko said.
The working group will analyze information and develop proposals for mine clearance from Ukraine's port infrastructure, inland waters, territorial waters, and exclusive maritime economic zone. In particular, it will coordinate the prioritization of mine clearance and the drafting of proposals for attracting international assistance.
As the CFTS portal reported, Ihnatenko recently said that an inspection of the Dnipro River upstream from Zaporizhia has begun. According to him, this is a joint effort of the State Emergency Service, the Ukrainian Inland Waterways Authority (Ukrvodshliakh), and the Maritime Administration. "We will have a 100% guarantee that the Dnipro will be safe for navigation upstream from Zaporizhia. Everything downstream from Zaporizhia is more complicated," Ihnatenko said.
