Black Sea attacks choke grain, coal and iron ore trades

X.com Russia has claimed strikes on four vessels and port infrastructure across Ukraine as the Black Sea has become the world’s most dangerous environment for commercial shipping. The Russian defence ministry said its forces hit three vessels in the port of Mykolaiv and another ship at sea off Odesa on Tuesday, alleging all four were being used “in the interests of the Ukrainian military”. Moscow also claimed attacks on a container terminal at Chornomorsk and a warehouse storing drones and drone components. Its assertions could not be independently verified, and the ministry did not identify the ships or provide details of casualties or damage. The attacks come amid an increasingly indiscriminate maritime campaign in which vessels, ports and energy infrastructure on both sides have been struck by aerial, surface and subsea drones. Turkey has urged Russia and Ukraine to protect freedom of navigation after a succession of attacks on Turkish-owned and Turkish-crewed ships. Ankara warned that the conflict’s spread across the Black Sea threatened merchant shipping and could have wider consequences for global food supplies. Turkish maritime union Deniz İşçileri estimates that 35 ships were struck during July, killing 23 seafarers and injuring more than 40. Security consultancy Palaemon Maritime said risks had “peaked again” as Russia and Ukraine launched large-scale, region-wide strikes. “All commercial shipping is a target for subsea, surface and aerial drones, including in coastal areas,” the company warned. Dirty tanker loadings from Russian Black Sea and Sea of Azov ports fell 62% in the final two weeks of July, averaging 0.98m barrels per day, according to data from BIMCO. Kazakh exports through the CPC terminal fell by the same proportion, while shipments to India dropped 66%. Aframax and suezmax volumes were similarly affected. BIMCO warned today that, if sustained, the disruption could cut global dirty tanker loadings by 3% in a market already down 5.6% year-on-year. The escalation is also reshaping dry bulk trades. Braemar said attacks on vessels and ports had brought some Russian and Ukrainian coal, grain and iron ore movements to a virtual halt while pushing war-risk premiums higher. Russia could redirect more coal and grain through Baltic ports, increasing voyage distances and supporting panamax tonne-mile demand. Around 70% of Russian Black Sea coal is typically carried by panamaxes. Turkey, which sources about 80% of its thermal coal imports from Russia, has already seen offered prices rise from below $100 per tonne in mid-July to around $135 per tonne. Grain disruption may prove harder to resolve. Russia and Ukraine account for almost 30% of global wheat trade, while restrictions have been imposed at Russian terminals and capacity at Odesa has reportedly fallen by a third.< Ukrainian iron ore exports have also been hit, with miners halting shipments following vessel attacks. The loss of long-haul capesize cargoes to China comes as iron ore prices hover near 12-month lows. Follow Us Sam Chambers Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune. Newsletter DAILY SPLASH NEWSLETTER Subscribe now for FREE daily news updates. Subscribe Read Next August 5, 2026 Fugro scores deepwater ROV contract for ONGC drilling campaign August 5, 2026 TGS launches seismic overhaul offshore Egypt August 5, 2026 Goldenport lifts ultramax newbuild bet August 5, 2026 Asso.subsea unveiled as buyer of Reach and Eidesvik’s IMR vessel August 5, 2026 Greece’s Nautilus makes tanker newbuild debut at Wuhu