JAKARTA - The increasingly intensive attacks on ports, grain terminals, and commercial vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov disrupt grain shipments from Russia and Ukraine, as well as raising concerns about global food security.
Russia is the world's largest wheat exporter, while Ukraine is known as Europe's breadbasket. The reciprocal attacks between the two countries have put pressure on the region's sea transport sector at harvest time.
Ukraine's production of grains and oilseeds is expected to rise to 81 million tonnes this year from 80 million tonnes last year, with agricultural products accounting for about 60 percent of the country's total exports.
The United Nations said the global agricultural market was beginning to feel the impact of these attacks and called for efforts to prevent an escalation of tensions, such as launching Anadolu (7/8).
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) warned that the delivery of Ukrainian grain could be further disrupted if attacks on shipping lanes continued, which would exacerbate global food insecurity.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure, last month there were about 35 attacks on ships in ports, 22 attacks on ships at sea, and 67 attacks on port facilities. Meanwhile, ships in Ukrainian ports were targeted 14 times throughout last year.
Russia's escalating attacks on ports and infrastructure in the Odesa region have impacted Ukraine's main agricultural export routes, of which more than 90 percent are shipped through Odesa and surrounding ports.
Commercial activity in the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhny has largely stalled since the second half of July due to increased security risks.
Ukraine's Minister of Agrarian and Food Policy Taras Vysotskyi said vessel owners had suspended shipments to Ukrainian Black Sea ports to load agricultural products since July 22, while alternative export routes were not expected to reach full capacity until the end of August.
He said that land and river routes, although operating at full capacity, would not be able to handle half of the shipping volume normally handled by ports on the Black Sea.
Danish shipping company Maersk has temporarily suspended feeder services through the port of Chornomorsk; although the company diverted cargo from the port to the Constanta Port in Romania, existing export orders may be canceled or the loading port diverted to Constanta.
The Russian Defense Ministry claims that the targets attacked in Ukrainian ports and ships are used for military purposes, while Kyiv states that most of the facilities and ships targeted are used for civilian trade and agricultural exports.
On the other hand, Ukraine has also stepped up drone attacks on Russian ports, grain terminals, and commercial vessels along the Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts.
Russia's main grain export terminal at Taman Port was reportedly attacked, while several terminals along the Black Sea coast restricted grain intake by land transport due to security risks.
Operations at Taman Port were impacted by the restrictions on ship movement in the Sea of Azov imposed on July 10.
Shipments of grain from the ports of Novorossiysk and Tuapse continue, but the loading speed has slowed due to the security measures and restrictions imposed.
Separately, the non-profit organization Rusgrain Union warned that attacks on commercial vessels and port infrastructure threaten shipping in the Black Sea, and stated that export corridors could be closed if these conditions continue.
Both Moscow and Kyiv deny their opponents' accusations of targeting civilian ships and port infrastructure, claiming they only attack targets related to military activity.
It is known that the Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed in Istanbul in July 2022 by Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Nations to prevent a potential global food crisis.
During the Black Sea grain corridor's operation, more than 1,000 ships have delivered around 33 million metric tons of grain to global markets and for humanitarian purposes, thus successfully preventing a potential global food crisis.
The corridor facilitates the delivery of Ukrainian grain to global markets and relieves pressure on world food prices.
After Russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023, Ukraine formed an alternative maritime corridor along the western Black Sea coast, close to the waters of Romania and Bulgaria.
However, increasingly intense attacks on ports, vessels, and grain terminals have created uncertainty over the operation of the route and the shipment of this year's harvest, while some shipping companies have suspended their operations.
If tensions in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov continue, disruptions to grain shipments could affect prices and cause supply pressures, especially for countries in Africa and the Middle East that rely on imports from the region.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
Most Popular Tags
#Prabowo Subianto #donald trump #firearm #8791 #giias 2026Popular
