The Stormy Summer of 2017 in the Ports of the Occupied Crimea: "Foreign Crimean Grain Fleet" and… Ukrainian Reloaders

Andrii Klymenko

Chief Editor BlackSeaNews

expert, Chairman of the Board, "Maidan of Foreign Affairs" Foundation

Translated by Tetyana Puchkova


The Maidan of Foreign Affairs and BlackSeaNews monitoring center continues presenting the results of its ongoing monitoring of the violations of the Ukrainian and international sanctions against the Russian-occupied Crimea by the sea vessels.

Below, we offer for your attention the main trends and specifics of the situation between June 1 - August 31, 2017, as well as the generalized data for 2017.

To read our previous material, click here: The Stormy Summer of 2017 in the Ports of the Occupied Crimea: the Real Numbers of the Infringing Vessels and Lay-Up as a Growth Factor (1)

Summer 2017 Trends:
How Foreign Grain Ships Have Replaced the Russian Ones

The main feature of the summer of 2017 is the uncommon before massive attraction of foreign – non RF - vessels for transportation from the ports of Crimea.

We have been repeatedly noting that Russia has a significant shortage of the river-sea type vessels. The shortage has considerably increased further after the Crimean occupation, especially after the complete blockade of commodities from mainland Ukraine.

In the summer of 2017, via their maritime brokers, the occupying authorities of Crimea turned to shipowners of Turkey, Romania, Lebanon, Egypt, and Greece with export orders for the large volumes of Crimean grain.

The reason was the record in the last eight years grain harvest in Crimea:  due to favorable weather conditions, the occupied peninsula harvested 1.7 million tons instead of the typical 1.5 million. That led to the vigorous attempts to facilitate grain export, as the storage capacity of Crimean elevators was insufficient.

Simultaneously, for the first time during the occupation, we observed foreign ships being used for the shuttle transportation of grain from the terminals of Sevastopol and Kerch to the two transshipment areas (see map):

(1) the Kerch Strait in the water area of ​​the Port Kavkaz; the official name is Anchorage (raid transshipment area, raiding berth) No. 451;

(2) the area of ​​unofficial raiding transshipment (so-called "Tortuga") in 12 miles, that is 22 km south of the Kerch Strait outside the territorial waters of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

http://www.blackseanews.net/files/image/(00-93-99-99)/1-8%202017%20crimean%20ship/%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B9%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%8F.jpg

Based on shippingexplorer.net

In the summer of 2017, 33 vessels of Russian shipowners and almost an equal number - 29 - belonging to shipowners from other countries worked at the Crimean ports, excluding active vessels permanently based in Crimea, mainly ferries, and repair and maintenance ships.

These 29 non-Russian vessels belonged to the shipowners from Turkey - 12, Romania - 6, Lebanon - 5, Greece - 3, Egypt – 2 and Syria - 1.

20 out of the 29 foreign vessels transported grain export, carrying in August 2017 alone up to 100 thousand tons for export or to the transshipment areas for further exporting.

That grain was bought by Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, India, Albania and Saudi Arabia. The Crimean grain was exported through Sevastopol (62%), Kerch (31%) and Feodosia (7%) seaports. India bought peas, Saudi Arabia - barley, Lebanon and Albania - wheat. Turkey, besides wheat, also bought flax and sunflower seeds.

That non-standard situation had led to the fact that during the summer months of 2017, for the first time since the beginning of 2015, the number and share of foreign, non-RF, infringing ships began to grow.

Ratio of the Russian- and Non-Russian Owned Blacklisted Vessels
in January-August 2017, ship numbers

http://www.blackseanews.net/files/image/(00-93-99-99)/%D0%94%D1%96%D0%B0%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%203.bmp

Below is the same ration in percentages:

Ratio of the Russian- and Non-Russian Owned Blacklisted Vessels
in January-August 2017, %

http://www.blackseanews.net/files/image/(00-93-99-99)/%D0%94%D1%96%D0%B0%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B0%204.jpg

To see what that "shuttle" activity looks like in practice, let’s take one of the most well-known offenders, the Romanian cargo ship NADALINA (IMO: 8215754, Sierra Leone flag, the shipowner and the operator RUAD MARINE SERVICES SRL 3rd Floor, Bulevardul Mamaia 122, 900673 Constanta, Romania) as a case study.

http://www.blackseanews.net/files/image/(00-93-99-99)/1-8%202017%20crimean%20ship/%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0%20%D1%81%D1%83%D0%BC.jpg

07.05.17 - arrived at the grain terminal of the Kerch Sea Fishery Port (KSFP) from the transshipment area and reloaded to the bulk carrier.

10.07. 17 - returned to the Kerch Merchant Marine Port (KMMP), loaded 4200 tons of barley and on 13.07.17 went to the transshipment area.

15.07.17 - after unloading grain to the bulk carrier, went to Sevastopol, took a load of grain and again went to the transshipment area south of the Kerch Strait, dumping the load on a bulk carrier there.

27.07.17 - arrived at the KSFP again, loaded 4000 tons of peas and on 01.08.17 set off for the transshipment area, where later unloaded.

03.08.17 - returned to the KMMP, loaded 4000 tons of peas again, and on 7.08.17, left for Feodosia

08.08.17 - arrived to Feodosia, took an additional cargo and on 18.08.17 set off for Tripoli (Lebanon)

All in all, in the summer of 2017, the "foreign Crimean grain fleet" included 20 vessels. The distribution on the basis of the country of shipowner’s registration is as follows:

6 vessels - Lebanon
5 vessels - Turkey *
5 vessels - Romania *
3 vessels - Greece
1 vessel - Syria.

* The above numbers of ships owned by the Turkish and Romanian shipowners' have a special trait: in April-May 2017, two well-known Romanian violators ADNAN H (IMO: 8215649) and ANDA (IMO: 8027638) were allegedly sold to a Turkish owner. Allegedly, because the routes have not changed and there are also other peculiarities that we won’t disclosed. We therefore, assume that sale to be fake and both vessels remaining under the control of the Romanian company. If that is the case, with 7 vessels, Romania would rank 1 in this rating.

Here is a complete list of the summer 2017 “Foreign (Non-RF) Crimean Grain Fleet” with detailed information on the ports of calls, dates, nature and volumes of cargo, etc.

What should not be overlooked here is the fact that in the summer of 2017, the "foreign Crimean grain fleet" that serviced the export of Crimean grain almost completely replaced the Russian one.

While 20 foreign ships were engaged in the "shuttle" transportation of grain export from the Crimean ports, the Russian Federation could allocate only 7 vessels for that purpose. Here is the detailed information and a complete list of the summer 2017 "Russian Crimean Grain Fleet."

Thus, of the 33 Russian-owned vessels, only 7 transported grain. The remaining 26 were engaged in delivering various cargoes to the peninsula, mainly rubble and sand, for the construction of the Kerch Bridge and the Tavrida freeway that will serve the bridge traffic. Meanwhile, of the 29 vessels owned by shipowners from other countries, 20 serviced the Crimean grain exports.

So, ultimately, the "foreign Crimean grain fleet" has enabled the aggressor state to proceed with the construction of infrastructure in the occupied Crimea without any distractions for grain and other exports.

The Summer 2017 Traits:
the Greek Return to Crimea for Grain

http://www.blackseanews.net/files/image/(00-93-99-99)/1-8%202017%20crimean%20ship/jamileh%20sev%20170717%20-%20pub.jpg

The JAMILEH dry cargo ship (foreground) of the NEREIDE MARINE SA, Piraeus, Greece, at a Sevastopol anchorage before arriving to the Avlita grain terminal on July 17, 2017.)

In the summer of 2017,  vessels owned by shipowners from an EU and NATO member Greece returned to the ports of the occupied Crimea.

We would like to remind the readers that in 2014, of  144 infringing ships, 20, or13.9%, were Greek. In 2015, their number and ratio decreased to 5 (3.1%) of the total number of 162 offenders and in 2016 dropped to only 2 vessels out of 162 (1.2%).

For the first half of 2017, Greek ships were not there either. But in mid-June 2017, 3 Greek ships began the prohibited grain export to the EU from Crimea. Two of them had already been blacklisted for the 2014 offenses, but why the NEREIDE MARINE SA company (Piraeus, Greece) decided to jeopardize the previously “clean” JAMILEH ship, remains unclear.

In our opinion, the resumption the Greek ships’ calls to the Crimean ports under the flags of other countries two years after their termination, testify to the attempts of the Greek shipowners to test the reaction of Ukraine and EU structures.

#

Name

Vessel
Identification
Technical Data

Owner / Manager

Dates

01

STELLA DI MARE

New Flag: Comoros
Old Flag: Moldova

Vessel type:
General Cargo

New MMSI: 620037000
New Call Sign: D6A2037

 

IMO: 8410380
MMSI:214182408
Callsign: ERXH

Gross tonnage: 3,120 tons.
Summer DWT: 4,281 tons
Length: 89 m
Beam: 16 m
Draught: 4.3 m

Build year: 1984
Builder: Jj Sietas Schiffswerft
Hamburg, Germany

 

Class society: Lloyd's Shipping Register

Ship manager/Commercial manager
CANADIAN SHIPPING LINE CO SA Care of Mermaid International Shipping & Trade Greece SA, 1, Charilaou Trikoupi Street, Piraeus,Greece. since 22/01/2015

Registered owner
CANADIAN SHIPPING LINE CO SA Care of Mermaid International Shipping & Trade Greece SA, 1, Charilaou Trikoupi Street, Piraeus,Greece. since 22/01/2015

ISM Manager
MERMAID INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING 1, Charilaou Trikoupi Street, Piraeus, Greece. since 18/09/2013

Sevastopol:

25-29.08.14
16.07.17 – From Varna to the Avlita terminal, grain to Latakia, Syria

10

CAPT ABEDA
since 01/03/2015

Old Name:
HASSAN D 
since 01/03/2011

New Flag: Comoros

Old Flag: Moldova

Vessel type: General Cargo

Former name(s):

Khaldoun (Until 2011 Mar)
Victoria Faith (Until 1995)

IMO: 7610270
MMSI: 620039000
Call Sign: D6A2039
Gross tonnage: 4,286 tons
Summer DWT: 6,828 tons
Length: 106 m
Beam: 16 m
​Draught: 5 m

Build year: 1977

 

Ship manager/Commercial manager
IMS HELLENIC CO 9, Filellinon Street, 185 36 Piraeus, Greece. since 06/03/2015

Registered owner
GLORY PRINCESS SHIPPING CO SA Care of IMS Hellenic Co , 9, Filellinon Street, 185 36 Piraeus, Greece.

=======

OLD Ship manager/Commercial manager

HASSAN SHIPPING CO SA Care of Barhoum Maritime Co, 5th Floor, Quarantine Mina Tower, Beirut,Lebanon

Sevastopol:

23-26.06.14 - КSFP grain terminal, grain to Egypt

13.06.17 – after cancelling the call in Berdyansk due to the publication, anchorage south of the Kerch Strait,

Later, on 21.06.17 – Avlita grain terminal, grain to Tartus 5300 tons, left on 24.06.
16.07.17 – anchorage after arrival from Tartus.

28.07.17 - Avlita grain terminal, moore# 21 for loading for Beirut.
26.08.17 - Avlita grain terminal, grain 5500 tons, left for Tartus on 06.09

10

JAMILEH

Flag: Palau

Vessel type: General Cargo

Former name(s):

Kent Trader (2009 Nov), Normed Antwerp (2003 Dec), Weser Importer (2002 Dec), Abitibi Claiborne (2001 Jul), Kent Trader (2001)
Weser Importer (1988), Scol Enterprise (1987), Weser Importer (1986 Oct 07), Trader (period Unknown)

 

IMO: 8511603
MMSI: 511097000
Callsign: T8A2051

Gross tonnage: 7,580 tons
Summer DWT: 7,875 tons
Length: 125 m
Beam: 20 m
Draught: 5.6 m

Build year: 1986

 

Class society: Germanischer Lloyd

Ship manager/Commercial manager
NEREIDE MARINE SA 6th Floor, 5-7, Kanari Street, 185 37 Piraeus, Greece. since 10/10/2014

ISM Manager
NEREIDE MARINE SA 6th Floor, 5-7, Kanari Street, 185 37 Piraeus, Greece. since 10/10/2014

Registered owner
SEABLITE NAVIGATION CORP Care of Nereide Marine SA, 6th Floor, 5-7, Kanari Street, 185 37 Piraeus, Greece. since 10/10/2014

Sevastopol:
15.07.17 - anchorage, from Greece, under loading. When passing Bosphorus declared route for Oktyabrsk, later Yuzhniy and Kavkaz, on 25.07.17 left for the Avlita grain terminal’s moore #21 for Tartus with 8600 tons of grain. Both in and on exit from the port had the AIS turned off.

 

The Summer 2017 Traits:
Participation of the Odessa Bulk Carriers
in the Transshipment of the Crimean Grain

Even though it pains us to say this, we have to...

According to our data, which, incidentally, coincides with the observations of our peers,  the Mirotvorets and Infonapalm volunteers, who published a detailed report on that, in the summer and early September 2017, 2 and 1 Ukrainian bulkers-reloaders, respectively, participated in facilitating the export of Crimean grain from the occupied peninsula. It should be noted that our colleagues managed to organize a round-the-clock observation for this.

These bulk carriers were on the transshipment anchorage in the territorial waters of the Russian Federation - at the moor #451. They took a Crimean grain cargo from at least 3 ships that had arrived from Sevastopol and Kerch and reloaded the grain on other bulkers ...

This is what the operation looks like:  in the middle is f the Odessa bulk carrier-reloader SVYATOY PYOTR, on the left - a small dry cargo carrier unrelated to Crimea and on the right - a large bulk carrier accumulating cargo before the trip

http://www.blackseanews.net/files/image/(00-93-99-99)/1-8%202017%20crimean%20ship/Svyatoy%20Pyotr%20-%20pub.jpg

Indeed, the Odessa ships did not enter the occupied territory, but during the cargo loading, the captains certainly saw that they were accepting export from the occupied Crimea ... While we cannot state at this point whether the ships have violated the legislation of Ukraine, they most certainly did the European and American sanctions.

This is what Odessa bulker AFINA looks like:

http://www.blackseanews.net/files/image/(00-93-99-99)/1-8%202017%20crimean%20ship/AFINA%20-%20pub.jpg

And this is Odessa bulker ALINA:

http://www.blackseanews.net/files/image/(00-93-99-99)/1-8%202017%20crimean%20ship/Alina%20-%20pub.jpg

The table below shows the details of these bulk carriers and the vessels they accepted the Crimean cargo from.

We very much hope that our friends - the patriotic Odessa maritime community - will clearly explain to their colleagues where they can and cannot conduct “business as usual...”

#

Name

Vessel
Identification
Technical Data

Owner / Manager

Dates

01

VOLGO-BALT 153

Flag: Russia

Vessel type: General Cargo

 

IMO: 8230209
MMSI:273365100
Callsign: UBYY

Gross tonnage:
2457
Summer DWT: 3170 t

Length Overall x Breadth Extreme:
114m × 13.23m
Build year: 1971

Class society: International Register Of Shipping

Owner&Manager: ООО Podmoskovnaya Sdokhodnaya Companiya

Registered owner AL SHIP MANAGEMENT CO LTD Care of Youg Electronics Ltd (OOO 'Yug Elektroniks'), Ofis 407, ul Dubininskaya 90, Moscow, 115093, Russia. during 12/2008

Ship manager/Commercial manager YOUG ELECTRONICS LTD Ofis 407, ul Dubininskaya 90, Moscow, 115093, Russia. since 11/12/2006

Sevastopol:
26.08.17 - SSFP from anchorage to the transshipment area for loading, 3300 tons of grain to anchorage in Port Kavkaz. Bulker: SVYATOY PYOTR

IMO: 8105741

 

SVYATOY PYOTR

Flag: Moldova

Vessel type: Bulk Carrier

 

IMO: 8105741
MMSI: 214182003
Callsign: ERTC

Gross tonnage: 22,091 tons
Summer DWT: 38,110 tons
Length: 188 m
Beam: 28 m
Draught: 6 m

Build year: 1983

 

Class society: Russian Maritime Shipping Register

Registered owner 
MOLGER INTERNATIONAL INC Care of LLC Colibri Ship Management , kv 45, ul Itskhaka Rabina 9, Odesa, Ukraine. since 25/11/2015

Ship manager/Commercial manager 
COLIBRI SHIP MANAGEMENT LLC kv 45, ul Itskhaka Rabina 9, Odesa, Ukraine. since 25/11/2015

 

02

NADALINA

Flag: Sierra Leone

Vessel type: General Cargo

Former name(s):
Rainbow S (2013)
East Express (2010)
Taurus (2002 Aug)
Hirsholm (2000)
Nordia (1996)
Anna (1989)

 

IMO: 8215754
MMSI: 667005244
Callsign: 9LD2544

Gross tonnage: 1,983 tons
Summer DWT: 5,722 tons
Length: 97 m
Beam: 16 m
Draught: 5.7 m

Build year: 1983

 

Class society: Germanischer Lloyd

Ship manager/Commercial manager: 
RUAD MARINE SERVICES SRL 3rd Floor, Bulevardul Mamaia 122, 900673 Constanta,Romania. since 01/06/2014

ISM Manager: 
RUAD MARINE SERVICES SRL 3rd Floor, Bulevardul Mamaia 122, 900673 Constanta,Romania. since 01/06/2014

Registered owner: 
AMRO GATE MARINE SA Care of Ruad Marine Services Srl , 3rd Floor, Bulevardul Mamaia 122, 900673 Constanta, Romania. since 10/08/2013

Kerch:
05.07.17 - KSFP grain terminal from Diliskilesi for loading 4000 tons of barley; unloaded at the transshipment anchorage on 09.07 to AFINA bulker  (IMO:  8029272).
10.07.17 – KMMP grain terminal for the transshipment anchorage to load 4200 tons of barley;

on 13.07 left for anchorage,

on 14.07 unloaded AFINA bulker, then - -to Sevastopol.
 

 

AFINA

Flag: Malta

Vessel type: Bulk Carrier

 

IMO: 8029272
MMSI: 256237000
Callsign: 9HTM5

Gross tonnage: 21,168 tons
Summer DWT: 35,419 tons
Length: 175 m
Beam: 29 m
Draught: 9.3 m

Build year: 1983

ISM Manager:
TRANSSHIP LTD ul Marazliyevskaya 8, Odesa, 65014, Ukraine. since 27/10/2011

Registered owner 
GLORION SA Care of Transship Ltd (OOO Transship), ul.Marazliyevskaya 8, Odesa, 65014, Ukraine. since 12/07/2006

Shipmanager/Commercial manager:
TRANSSHIP LTD ul Marazliyevskaya 8, Odessa, 65014, Ukraine. since 12/07/2006

 

03

ABRAMTSEVO

Flag: Russia

Vessel Type: General Cargo

 

IMO: 8947955
MMSI: 273426040
Gross tonnage: 1652 tons
Dwt: 2070 tons

Build year 1963
Builder: Slovenske Lodenice n.p. Komarno (Slovakia)

Home port: Rostov
Class society: Russian River Register

Manager & owner:

Don River Shipping - Rostov,Russia

Donrechflot, LLC(344019, Russia, Rostov-on-Don, ul Sovetskaya, 63)

Sevastopol:
08.09.17 - Авлита grain terminal moor #451 for loading, also on 09.09.17, flaxseed, reload bulker ALINA, IMO 7525683

 

ALINA

Flag: Georgia

Vessel type: Bulk Carrier

IMO: 7525683
MMSI: 213300000
Callsign: 4LNR

Gross tonnage: 20,206 tons
Summer DWT: 34,318 tons
Length: 179 m
Beam: 27 m
Draught: 6.5 m

Build year: 1977

 

Class society: Russian Maritime Shipping Register

Registered owner 
ALINA NAVIGATION LTD Care of Transship Ltd (OOO Transship) , ul Marazliyevskaya 8, Odesa, 65014, Ukraine. since 01/04/2005

ISM Manager 
TRANSSHIP LTD ul Marazliyevskaya 8, Odesa, 65014, Ukraine. since 12/12/2002

Ship manager/Commercial manager 
TRANSSHIP LTD ul Marazliyevskaya 8, Odessa, 65014, Ukraine. during 12/2002

 

 

Stay tuned for more…

*   *   *

The monitoring of the violations of international sanctions against Russia and the legal regime of the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea is supported by the European program initiative of the "Renaissance" International Fund. The views of the authors do not necessarily reflect the position of the position of the "Renaissance" International Fund.

 *   *   *

BSNews expresses gratitude to the ShippingExplorer
company for the opportunity to use its special software, as well as to all the volunteers
who have sent us information for the Black List project.


The project has also used data from the
www.marinetraffic.com and www.shipspotting.com

 

The source material.

Experts
Andrii Klymenko

Andrii Klymenko

Chair of the Supervisory Board of the MFA, ​Crimea studies expert, ​Editor-in-chief of the http://www.blackseanews.net/ Publications
Bohdan Yaremenko

Bohdan Yaremenko

MFA founder, foreign policy and security expert Publications
Oleh Belokolos

Oleh Belokolos

Chairman of the Board, foreign policy and security expert Publications
Alexander Khara

Alexander Khara

Foreign policy and security expert, ​Deputy Chair of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies Publications
Oleksii Kuropiatnyk

Oleksii Kuropiatnyk

Foreign policy and security expert Publications
Olga Korbut

Olga Korbut

Temporarily occupied territories studies ​analyst​ Publications
Tatyana Guchakova

Tatyana Guchakova

Temporarily occupied territories studies expert Publications
Yurii Smelyanski

Yurii Smelyanski

Economics and temporarily occupied territories studies expert, Chair of the Executive Board of the ​Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies Publications