We are knee deep in the harvest season for Ukrainian (and Russian) grain. Russia has also decided to attack Odessa, Ukraine’s largest port, and continues to occupy parts of southern Ukraine. Last year, we identified a network of bulk carriers and feeder ships that were central to Russia’s efforts to steal Ukrainian grain and ship it from Sevastopol.
We urge our clients and the wider community to be vigilant for tell-tale signs of theft, or any commodities which are loaded in Sevastopol. Get our Deep Blue Intelligence report on the network behind last year’s theft, their maritime evasion tactics, and a list of red flags and actions compliance programs can take – using PurpleTRAC and MDA – to identify risky transactions.
In short, if you are dealing with bulkers sailing for Kavkaz, we urge you to be vigilant of which feeder ships visited such vessels. Likewise, traders should exercise caution when dealing with low to medium tonnage general cargo vessels or bulk carriers who disable their AIS transponders for greater than five days in the vicinity of Kavkaz.
Download the full report for FREE – “Analysing the Movements of Ukrainian Grain”.