- Merchant ship hit by a missile.
- Food shortages and inflation around the world.
- Russia denies responsibility for the attacks.
A blast was heard by the crew of a Bangladeshi ship stuck near the Ukrainian port of Olvia, and the deck was covered in flames as reported by
Hit by a missile
A missile struck the MV Banglar Samriddhi at 5:25 p.m. last Wednesday, killing one crew member and leaving several others badly burned, according to Bangladeshi crew members, their families and Ukrainian authorities.
She was the fifth merchant ship to be hit by artillery off the coast of Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
The war in Ukraine has severely hampered navigation in the Black Sea, with far-reaching consequences for international transport and global supply chains.
Ukraine accounts for 16% of world corn exports and, together with Russia, 30% of wheat exports.
World wheat prices have jumped more than 55% since the week before the invasion.
Seafarers stranded
“This shock to the global grain supply is the biggest supply shock since the OPEC oil cuts in the 1970s,” said Salvatore Mercogliano, a professor at Campbell University in North Carolina and a former sailor.
“It will mean food shortages in the Middle East and Africa, and inflation around the world.”
To make matters worse for global shippers, thousands of Ukrainian and Russian seafarers are stranded in ports around the world, leaving shipowners scrambling to find replacement crews to keep supply chains tight.
In the Black Sea and adjacent Sea of Azov, which are major food and oil export routes, five tankers and cargo ships were hit by missiles, according to Ukrainian port authorities.
Ships affected include tankers, container ships and bulk carriers from Japan, Turkey, Moldova and Estonia, carrying cargoes such as diesel, clay and grain.
Crews work
Ukrainian authorities generally blame Russia, which has amassed a flotilla of warships along Ukraine’s coast.
Russia has denied any responsibility for the attacks.
Russian forces have targeted missiles at Ukrainian port infrastructure, part of a plan to seize Ukraine’s southern coast to cut it off from the sea and choke off its economy.
On Thursday, an Estonian freighter, the MV Helt, sank after being hit below the waterline, the ship’s owner said.
Russian forces also detained two Ukrainian merchant ships, the Ukrainian port authority said.
Emergency session
Last week the navy scuttled its only frigate in Mykolaiv to prevent her is captured by the Russian Navy, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said.
The International Maritime Organization said on Friday it would hold an emergency session on March 10-11 to address the impact of the war on shipping following requests from numerous governments.
Moscow has warned NATO to stay out of waters it claims as its own.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation has declared the waters of Ukraine a “war zone” and called for more protections for seafarers.
Seafarers’ advocacy groups said many stranded crew were running out of supplies and fuel.
Did you subscribe to our newsletter?
It’s free! Click here to subscribe!
Source: WSJ
