Ukraine has announced a “Humanitarian Corridor” in the Black Sea to free cargo ships that have been stranded in its ports since the commencement of the war.
The corridor would, at the very least, apply to vessels such as container ships that have been detained in Ukrainian ports since the February 2022 invasion and were not included by the arrangement that unlocked the ports to grain imports last year.
However, it might be a major test of Ukraine’s capacity to reopen maritime routes at a time when Russia is attempting to reimpose its de facto blockade after the grain deal was abandoned last month.
The Ukrainian Navy stated in a statement that the routes had already been suggested directly to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The routes would be “primarily used for civilian ships that have been in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdenny since the start of Russia’s full-fledged invasion on February 24, 2022.”
Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said: “Safe navigation for merchant shipping was one of the benefits of the Black Sea Initiative, which we hope can resume.”
“The obligations of International Humanitarian Law on land and sea must be upheld.”
Shipping and insurance sources familiar with Ukraine said they were not informed about the new corridor, and its viability was questioned. They predicted that most ships would refuse to sail at this time.
