Access the latest Maritime Security Threat Advisory for the week commencing 24th July 2023.

👉 Within the last reporting period Russia has confirmed its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain deal.
In doing so, Russia stated that it could no longer guarantee the safety and security of vessels transiting the Black Sea and made unfounded allegations that Ukraine has used the Black Sea grain deal mechanism as a method of transporting munitions into Ukraine.

Russia has stated that all vessels continuing to transit to Ukrainian ports would be seen as potential carriers of military cargo and their flag countries to be parties to the conflict on the Ukrainian side. In return, Ukraine issued its own threats indicating that were Russia to seek to target civilian vessels calling at Ukraine, it may retaliate in kind against vessels calling at Russian ports. Russia sought to defuse tensions slightly with its Ambassador in Washington stating that “Attempts to attribute to Russia the preparation of some attacks on civilian ships are pure falsification. Russia’s principal contention remains that in addition to its participation in the Grain Deal it held a parallel memorandum signed in Istanbul that was intended to facilitate Moscow’s own grain and fertilizer exports in the face of Western sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. This deal has yet to be fully implemented because of Russian removal from the global banking system.