Bloomberg: Five grain ships attacked near Russian ports since start of week

At least five grain vessels have come under attack near Russia’s Black Sea ports of Novorossiysk and Tuapse as Moscow seeks to maintain grain exports amid intensifying Ukrainian strikes, Bloomberg sources said.

These are the first confirmed cases of grain carriers operating from Russian ports coming under attack. Moscow has sought to play down the extent of the damage, while a growing number of shipowners are becoming increasingly wary of the risks associated with calling at Russian ports.

Four vessels were attacked on Tuesday morning, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information. Another vessel was hit on Monday.

The Russian bulk carrier Victoria V, capable of carrying up to 7,000 tons of grain, was attacked in the port of Novorossiysk, where it was due to be loaded with wheat.

The Marshall Islands-flagged Fehu was hit after leaving Novorossiysk carrying wheat. The vessel was able to continue its voyage, according to the sources.

The Malta-flagged bulk carrier Elina B was attacked after loading about 56,000 tons of wheat in Novorossiysk. The vessel is currently heading toward the Bosphorus.

The San Marino-flagged bulk carrier Necibe was attacked by drones in the port of Tuapse, where it was due to be loaded with about 20,000 tons of wheat.

The fifth vessel attacked was the Liberia-flagged Anna S. It was heading to Novorossiysk for barley when a drone strike caused a fire on board. According to the sources, the vessel was unable to continue its voyage.

Since July 10, drone attacks have completely halted grain shipments from Russia’s Azov Sea ports, which account for about a quarter of the country’s grain exports. Last week, three terminals at the deep-sea port of Novorossiysk announced the suspension of operations following one of the largest attacks since the start of the full-scale war.

• A Russian grain terminal in Novorossiysk suspended operations after a nighttime Ukrainian drone attack on Aug. 12. The Novorossiysk Grain Plant (NGP) was also damaged.
• The following day, the Delo Group announced the suspension of operations at the KSK grain terminal, the largest grain terminal in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.