The movement of ships to Ukrainian ports has been temporarily suspended: the Ministry of Agrarian Policy explained the reasons

As of the morning of July 23, the entry of ships into the Black Sea ports of Ukraine has been temporarily suspended. At the same time, there is no talk of a complete blockade of sea exports at the moment. This was reported by the Minister of Agrarian Policy Taras Vysotsky.

According to him, the decision to suspend the movement was made by the shipowners themselves due to increased security risks after the recent Russian attacks.

The state did not impose any restrictions

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy emphasizes that the Ukrainian authorities did not impose bans or restrictions on the movement of ships.

“Yesterday, four or five ships entered the ports. This is not many, but there was movement. As of today, the entry of ships has been suspended. This is the decision of the shipowners – the state, for its part, did not restrict anything,” Taras Vysotsky noted.

He emphasized that it is premature to talk about a complete blockade of sea exports at this time.

Government working on resuming shipping

According to the minister, the government is already working on solutions that should help restore the movement of ships to Ukrainian ports. At the same time, he has not yet disclosed the details of these measures.

Vysotsky also emphasized that it is worth assessing the situation in a longer perspective.

“The current pause lasts only four days, so it does not currently have a critical impact on the total volume of exports. The real picture can be assessed based on the results of the month and year,” he explained.

The reason was Russian attacks

In recent days, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s port infrastructure. In particular, three civilian vessels under foreign flags were damaged as a result of a drone attack on Mykolaiv.

Amid growing threats, the Danish shipping company Maersk temporarily suspended its service through the Black Sea fishing port. Earlier, the agricultural holding Kernel made a similar decision, which also stopped work in this direction.

According to experts, due to systematic Russian missile and drone strikes, Ukraine has already lost about a third of its capacity to export agricultural products, including grain. Russia continues to attack not only port infrastructure, but also the entire transport and logistics chain that ensures Ukrainian exports.