Five more ships were named as being en route to Ukrainian Black Sea ports, while three vessels that had been there have left and are either travelling to or have arrived at Istanbul.
“Five new vessels are waiting to be loaded in Ukrainian ports,” claimed Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov over the weekend, adding that “bulk carriers Olga (IMO 9109548), Ida (IMO 9109536), Danny Boy (IMO 9324722), Forza Doria (IMO 9218038), New Legacy (IMO 9124782) are going to export almost 120,000 (metric) tons of Ukrainian grain to Africa and Europe”.
The Olga had left Varna, Bulgaria on September 18th.
The Ida, which is the same weight and has the same operators at the Olga, also left Varna on September 18th. Both are Blumenthal vessels, operated by the Hamburg business and ISM-managed from Singapore.
Kubrakov also said that three bulk carriers – the Azara (IMO 9132492), Ying Hao 01 (IMO 9250189) and Eneida (IMO 9198381) – left Ukrainian ports earlier on Sunday using the “temporary corridor established by the Ukrainian Navy” and carrying 127,000 tons of agricultural products and iron ore.
Despite Russia stating that any ships travelling the route from Ukraine to Istanbul would be treated as potentially hostile and liable to attack, no such threat has been forthcoming. Russia instead has been focusing on the ports themselves – warehouses, infrastructure and offices.
Ukraine’s farms minister said that freight rates for grain exports via the Black Sea were falling sharply. “The first (ships) left. It was expensive. The next ones are cheaper. I think freight has become 30%-to-40% cheaper in the last two to three weeks. It is still expensive, but it is much cheaper than it was,” farms minister Mykola Solsky said, noting that Ukraine was expected to harvest 79m tons of grain and oilseed in 2023, with an exportable surplus of about 50m tons in 2023/24.
A greater concern amongst shippers and insurers could be the danger that the ever-increasingly congested Black Sea area around Constanta was becoming a dangerous area to travel because of the increased risk of collision. That concern was heightened by recent reports that Russia was manipulating GPS signals in the region.
Nearly two weeks ago the Genco Columbia (IMO 9758129) came into contact with another bulk carrier, R Skywalker (IMO 9610248), which was at anchorage outside the busy port of Constanta.
Broker Miller Insurance Services said last month that a new marine insurance facility for Ukrainian grain exports using the country’s new sea corridor had been set up.
1996-built, Liberia-flagged, 11,121 gt Olga is owned by Ventura maritime Co Ltd care of manager Blumenthal JMK GmbH of Hamburg, Germany. ISM manager is Blumenthal Asia Pte ltd of Singapore. It is entered with Skuld (Skuld Hamburg) on behalf of Blumenthal Asia Pte. As of October 2nd the vessel was underway off Odesa, where it had arrived on September 23rd.
1995-built, Liberia-flagged, 11,121 gt Ida is owned by Urania Shipping Co Ltd care of manager Blumenthal JMK of Hamburg, Germany. ISM manager is Blumenthal Asia Pte of Singapore. It is entered with Skuld (Skuld Hamburg) on behalf of Blumenthal Asia Pte. As of October 1st the vessel was off Odesa, having arrived from Varna, Bulgaria, on September 23rd.
2005-built, Bahamas-flagged, 16,960 gt Danny Boy is owned by Titan Enterprises Inc care of manager Evalend Shipping Co of Athens, Greece. It is entered with Gard P&I on behalf of Titan Enterprises SA. As of October 1st it was off Odesa. Its journey is listed as heading from Monfalcone, Italy (departed September 22nd) to Sulina, Romania, ETA September 28th.
2000-built, Barbados-flagged, 19,925 gt Forza Doria is owned and managed by Forza Doria Shipping SA of Monrovia, Liberia. It is entered with Gard P&I on behalf of Forza Doria Shipping SA (Incepted September 20th 2023). As of October 1st it was off Chornomorsk, having left Misurata, Libya, on September 26th.
1996-built, Belize-flagged, 17,429 gt New Legacy is owned and managed by Legacy Shipping Ltd of Majuro, Marshall islands. As of October 1st it was moored at Yuzhny, having left Tripoli, Libya, on September 24th and arrived at Yuzhny on October 1st.
1997-built, Palau-flagged, 10,220 gt Azara is owned by Rubchart Shipping Ltd care of Dtschart Sp zoo of Zrardow, Poland. As of October 2nd it was in the Black Sea, hugging the eastern coast, with a scheduled arrival in Istanbul of October 2nd.
2002-built, Liberia-flagged, 40,597 gt Ying Hao 01 is owned by Cratos Shipping Co Ltd care of Dongguan Yinghao Ship Management Co Ltd of Dongguan, Guangdong, China. It is entered with London Club on behalf of Yinghao Shipping (Hong Kong) Ltd. As of October 2nd it was at Bosphorus Anchorage (North).
2000-built, Liberia-flagged, 26,010 gt Eneida is owned and managed by Camino Shipping SA of Panama City. ISM manager is Staff centre Shipmanagement of Odesa, Ukraine. It is entered with West P&I (Claims team Greece) on behalf of Camino Shipping SA. As of October 2nd it was hugging the Black Sea coast en route from Chornomorsk to Malaga, Spain, ETA October 9th.
2016-built, Marshall Islands-flagged, 34,185 gt Genco Columbia is owned by Genco Columbia Ltd care of Genco Ship Management LLC of New York, USA. ISM manager is GS Shipmanagement Pvt if Chennai, India. It is entered with Skuld (Skuld Western Europe and Americas) on behalf of Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd. As of October 2nd it was underway off Constanta.
2013-built, Liberia-flagged, 21,796 gt R Skywalker is owned by Rocky IV Ltd care of Zeaborn Ship Management GmbH of Hamburg, Germany. It is entered with Steamship Mutual (European Syndicate) on behalf of Rocky IV Ltd. Ass of October 2nd it was underway in Mangalia Anchorage, Romania.