The Center for Journalist Investigations (CJI) describes how Western sanctions impact Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov, occupied by the Russian Federation; identifies new Russian pirate ships stealing Ukrainian grain; and uncovers sea and railways military logistics of Russia in occupied Southern Ukraine.
On October 31, 2024, Russian occupation authorities of Berdyansk reported that ten drones of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the port of Berdyansk. Russian air defense hit several drones over residential neighborhoods but some drones reached their targets and hit port infrastructure and damaged one ship.
Berdyansk Sea Trade Port in the morning of October 31, 2024. Photo: social media. Collage: investigator.org.ua
On November 1, 2024, damaged ship left the water area of Berdyansk. No further entrances of ships to the port have been registered so far. In accordance with satellite data and video from social media, only one ship stayed in the port on the eve of the Ukrainian attack, though two-three grain carriers have waited each day for loading in the port during last half a year.
Bulker-twins “Kapitan Mironov”(MO: 9077563) and “Kapitan Yakovlev”(MO: 9077575) have usually used piers # 1 and 2. It seems that one of them has been hit by Ukrainian drones on October 31, 2024.
Russian ships “Kapitan Mironov”(MO: 9077563) and “Kapitan Yakovlev”(MO: 9077575) in the port of occupied Berdyansk, summer 2024. Photo: social media
Before the October attack, the Port of Berdyansk has been quite active. Since June 1, 2024, ten entrances of ships have been registered each week.
We managed to identify several new ships which violated international maritime law, switched off their automated identification system and entered closed ports of Ukraine.
Piers of the Port of Berdyansk and one ship on a roadstead, 08.08.2024. Photo: satellite Sentinel-2 Collage: investigator.org.ua
Let us begin with ships we have identified long time ago. On September 20, 2024, “Kapitan Yakovlev” with almost 4 thousand tons of stolen Ukrainian grain left occupied Berdyansk and headed towards Egyptian Alexandria.
Our colleagues from SeaKrime project described the scheme used by Russian pirate ships:
- Officially a ship enters Russian port of Temruk;
- It switches off automated identification system (AIS);
- It goes to the Port of Berdyansk for loading;
- Loaded ship returns to Temruk;
- It switches on the AIS and
- It goes to the port of destination.
Scheme of illegal entrance of bulker “Kapitan Yakovlev” to closed port of Berdyansk. Collage: investigator.org.ua
The bulker stays on anchorage near the shore of Krasnodar krai, does not approach the pier and does not conduct the re-loading of cargo. However, the Russian port issues documents for the stolen Ukrainian grain.
Last summer ship “ALFA M” (IMO: 9419084) was found for the first time among Russian pirate ships operating in the Sea of Azov. Before investigative journalists found it several times when it made illegal trips from closed ports of Sevastopol and Feodosia to Turkish ports.
Ship “ALFA M” (IMO: 9419084) at piers of the port of Berdyansk in June-September 2024. Photo: social media. Collage: investigator.org.ua
In July 2024, this ship declared Temruk as port of destination but entered Berdyansk and loaded over 7 thousand tons of wheat. Then, it loaded almost 2 thousand tons of grain in Russian port “Caucasus”, switched off AIS and headed, presumably, to Libya.”ALFA M” was found in Berdyansk several times – in July, August and September 2024.
Data about ship “ALFA M” (IMO: 9419084) in the International Maritime Register
“ALFA M” is registered for the company “ASTON SHIPTRADE CORP” from Marshall Islands. Its commercial management is exercised by company “DEEPBLUE MARINE BROKERAGE” from United Arab Emirates. Security services are provided by Russian company “KRECHET LLC” with legal address in Rostov-na-Donu. This company has been managed by Pereguda Viktor Viktorovich and founded by Sopova Tatyana Viktorovna.
It should be noted that additional loading in Russian port, as with “ALFA M”, can be explained by two reasons. First, Russian occupants try to hide its crime, i.e. transportation of grain from occupied Southern Ukraine. They mix Ukrainian grain with Russian grain, in order to pass successfully possible expertise of cargo.
Second, Berdyansk port is not deep enough, and some fully loaded ships will not be able to leave the port.
“We have certain restrictions about ship’s draft. As an outcome, we lose half of cargo”, as told Volodymyr Stelmachenko, Russian “director” of Berdyansk Sea Trade Port, to Russian propagandists in September 2024.
Volodymyr Stelmachenko – occupation “director” of Berdyansk Sea Trade Port. Photo: social media
One video of Russian propagandists, devoted to “the liberation” of the Port of Berdyansk, demonstrated bulker “SOFIA” (IMO: 9245263). In May and July 2024, journalists of SeaKrime project disclosed that it brought stolen Ukrainian grain from Crimea to Bangladesh and Turkey.
Bulker “SOFIA” (IMO: 9245263) at website marinetraffic.com and in the water area of occupied Berdyansk. Photo: social media. Collage: investigator.org.ua
“SOFIA” was identified several times in the Port of Berdyansk. It stayed there on the eve of the Ukrainian attack on October 26, 2024. We can assume that this bulker transported around 7 thousand tons of grain each time.
This ship is owned by company STRATEGIC GRAIN MANEGEMENT L.L.C. FZ, registered in the United Arab Emirates. Some specialized sites indicate that this company is from Sweden.
It should be reminded that in July 2024, the CJI discovered that one third of Russian pirate fleet from the 14th package of EU sanctions was registered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Investigative journalists from SeaKrime believe that real owner of “SOFIA” is newly created Russian company “Zernoeksport”. Its director and founder is Savkin Vitalii Vitalievich, Ukrainian citizen with passport of the Russian Federation. The ship is operated by Russian LLC “Kubanskaya morskaya kompania”, owned by Russian citizen Fisik Maksym Vasilyevich. He is also an owner of Russian LLC “Petrokhleb-Kuban”. This company is the main recipient of all cargo transported by “SOFIA”.
Data about ship “SOFIA” (IMO: 9245263) in the International Maritime Register
Many people ask logical question: what is the purpose of investigations, identification of ships and their owners if Russia fully controls the Sea of Azov and bulkers under Russian flag often freely navigate in other seas and violate the international maritime law?
The reason is evident. Though Russian propagandists say that Russia is not afraid of sanctions, Russians do their best to avoid sanctions! That is why they mix grain; their ships navigate with switched off AIS and they forge documents on their cargo. Ships under sanctions will not be able to enter foreign ports and deliver their cargo. It means – they will lose a lot of money.
“Any ship, any cargo, identified in our Ukrainian port, – can be announced illegal! It can be arrested and confiscated in neutral waters. The crew and captain can be arrested whereas the ship and cargo can be confiscated, and bank accounts of ship owners can be also arrested or frozen. This factor itself restricts the work of occupied Ukrainian ports”.
For example, since November 1, 2024, no ship has entered the Port of Berdyansk.
Port of Berdyansk. Photo: social media.
Since 2022, Russian occupants have directly supplied not less than 4 million tons of grain and other products from occupied territories of Ukraine to international markets, as reported WSJ in September 2024. It brought 800 million USD to occupants. Far more products were transported by land or by small ships. Total value of all crops, stolen by Russia, may reach 6.5 billion USD. For example, Russian occupants stole not less than 1 million ton of grain from occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia region during summer 2024.
Russian troops in the Port of Mariupol, spring 2022. Photo: social media
Russian occupants focused their attention on restoring the railway infrastructure and they were successful.
The Mariupol cargo is different. Besides grain, occupants have transported kaolin or white clay, coal and iron ore. They have kept stealing metal from ruined metallurgical factories of Mariupol. They transported remnants of enterprises as metal scrap.
Unidentified ship in the port of occupiedMariupol in June-October 2024. Photo: t.me/andriyshTime. Collage: investigator.org.ua
In accordance with the Ukrainian resistance movement, almost no ships have entered the Port of Mariupol in July and August 2024. A dredger cleaned and deepened the channel of the port. In September 2024, occupation authorities started works on lifting Ukrainian command ship “Donbas” submerged in the channel of the port in February 2022. They would like to secure the entrance of ships with heavy load capacity. They try to bring necessary equipment and specialists from the Port of Kerch.
“Donbas” – command ship of project 304 (NATO classification – Amur) of the Ukrainian Navy, destroyed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in occupied Mariupol on February 23, 2023. Photo: t.me/andriyshTime
On August 13, 2024, unknown bulker entered the port, loaded around 5 thousand tons of crops and brought them to Crimea. The next ship entered on September 25, 2024. It brought unknown cargo to Mariupol and left it with grain. In October 2024, the railways were launched and movement in the water area of the port became more active.
It should be emphasized that since then, all dry cargo ships have entered the Port of Mariupol with some unidentified cargo. Perhaps, it has been ammunition. It is remarkable that Russian Deputy Minister of Transport Aleksandr Poshyvai recently visited occupied Southern Ukraine. The main purpose of his visit has been about renewal of work of ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol. Up to now, they have not been fully involved into military logistics of Russian occupants. Russians would like to bring more grain, coal and metal from occupied territories and bring in more “accompanying cargo”, as they call it.
“Russian occupants linked sea transportation with railways. It works like united logistical chain. On the one hand, it will transport what Russians steal on occupied territories. On the other, it will work for Russian military supplies”, as says Petro Andruschenko, an advisor of the Mayor of Mariupol.
Railways are now fully operational in the Port of Mariupol. On November 10, 2024, loading and reloading of unknown bulker in the port took less than one day. It is record breaking time for Russian occupants.
Russian pirate bulker leaves the Port of Mariupol, 10.11.2024. Photo: t.me/andriyshTime
“We do not know what they brought in. It has been quickly loaded from the ship to the cargo train. It is unusual. It means that the cargo has been very important not for Mariupol but for other purposes, most likely, military purposes”, as stresses Petro Andruschenko.
Thus, as we predicted last year, Russian occupants succeeded in fully launching military logistics, uniting railways, and land and sea transportation.
