Two Ships Regularly Carrying Stolen Ukrainian Grain Collide Near Kerch Strait

Russian media outlets report at least 8 incidents involving ships because of a storm in the Black Sea.

At least eight Russian vessels have been damaged due to a storm in the Black Sea.

In particular, two vessels that regularly carry stolen Ukrainian grain collided near the port of Kavkaz, the CFTS portal reports, citing Russian media reports.

In the Kerch Strait, the ship Matros Shevchenko collided with the ship Matros Poznych near the port of Kavkaz when the former sailed into the open sea during a storm. The storm slammed both vessels into the motor ship Kavkaz-5, which had just been unanchored.

Near the Massandra berth in the port of Yalta, a cargo barge torn from its anchors crashed into the tugs Krymchanin and Kalamit at a nearby berth and then collided with the cargo ship Piotr Lidiv.

The Belize-flagged bulk carrier Blue Shark ran aground near Anapa during a storm. It was carrying 21 crew members, 95 tons of heavy fuel oil, and 15 tons of diesel fuel. It was also carrying a cargo of 2,700 tons of barley. The Blue Shark ran aground about 100 meters off the coast near the village of Vityazevo.

Another incident occurred in the Sevastopol port at around 05:00 on 27 November. The boat Fizik crashed into a pier and ended up with a hole in its hull.

The ships Matros Shevchenko and Matros Poznych regularly carry grain illegally taken from the occupied territories of Ukraine. In particular, the Matros Shevchenko left the port of Sevastopol with a cargo of stolen Ukrainian grain on 12 October.

As the CFTS portal previously reported, at the request of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, a court ordered the seizure of four ships for calling at closed Crimean ports and terminals and participating in the illegal Russian scheme to transport Ukrainian grain to third countries, thus serving as an instrument of crime. The ships were the Matros Pozynich, the Mykhailo Nenashev, and the Matros Koshka.

As previously reported, Russia recently began removing ships carrying stolen Ukrainian grain from the ports of occupied Crimea and registering them with other owners. In particular, the bulk carrier Matros Pozynich (IMO 9573816) was removed from the Russian register and registered to Antique Finance SA. Leading media outlets have reported on the use of the Matros Pozynich to transport stolen grain, so the Greek company knew what it was adding to its fleet.