21 November 2024 (Lloyd's List) - UKRAINE’S seaborne trade has “gone dark” in response to a spate of Russian attacks on the country’s greater Odesa ports that saw at least four civilian ships damaged last month.

New guidance for ships sailing to Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhnyy (Pivdennyi) was issued on October 15 with masters being instructed to turn off their Automatic Identification System signals while sailing through the Black Sea corridor and while berthed.

Only a couple of ships have had their AIS turned on while at port since this notice, and every call made to the deepsea ports in November was a dark port call (when a ship calls with AIS disabled), according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence vessel-tracking data.

The intensity of Russia’s strikes against Ukrainian ports increased for a period of about 10 days in October which resulted in several merchant ships being struck.

One ship, the Palau-flagged general cargoship Optima (IMO: 9528691) was struck twice in two separate incidents.

At the time, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and minister of infrastructure and regional policy Oleksiy Kuleba described the attacks of a “purposeful practice of intimidation” designed to obstruct Ukraine’s maritime trade.

Kuleba has since said the country is working to strengthen defence measures in each port.

Vessels calling at Ukrainian ports have always been and continue to be at risk of becoming collateral damage during Russian strikes on the ports and surrounding areas.