MARITIME

3 March 2023: In and Around the Waters of Ukraine

According to the Office of Naval Intelligence’s Worldwide Threat to Shipping (WTS) Report, multiple commercial vessels have been struck by projectiles or have experienced explosions in Ukrainian ports and in the northwestern Black Sea off the coast of Ukraine.These incidents have occurred since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022. There have also been reports of naval mines, both moored and drifting, in the Black Sea. The WTS report says there is a high risk of damage to U.S.-flagged vessels in this region and advises U.S.-flagged commercial vessels to avoid entering or approaching the Sea of Azov, Ukrainian ports or Ukrainian territorial waters in the northwestern Black Sea unless participating in the UN Black Sea Grain Initiative. Vessels operating in these areas may encounter GPS interference, AIS spoofing and/or other communications jamming the report states.