Ukraine Announces Fantasy Black Sea Humanitarian Shipping Corridor

Aug. 11, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—The Kiev regime announced yesterday the opening of a “humanitarian corridor” for ships that have been trapped in Ukrainian Black Sea ports since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation. Reuters opined that it could be a major test of Ukraine’s ability to reopen sea lanes at a time when Russia is trying to reimpose its de facto blockade, having abandoned the Black Sea Grain Initiative last month. Notable is that the same day as Kiev’s announcement on its “humanitarian” initiative, Ukrainian drones were deployed to hit Sevastopol, the home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.

The Ukraine routes, Reuters reports, would “primarily be used for civilian ships which have been in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odessa, and Pivdenny since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russia on February 24, 2022.”

Safety and security concerns might mean, however, that no sea captain is going to risk his vessel with war so close by. Shipping and insurance sources familiar with Ukraine told Reuters that they were not informed about the new corridor and there were questions over its viability. It was unlikely most ships would agree to sail at the moment, they said. “Insurers and their backing banks will have to agree and they may say we do not like the risks,” one insurance source said. “The possibility of multiple seafarer deaths (in the event of a ship being hit) has not been addressed, so this is another major question,” a shipping industry source said.