570 Ships Attacked as Ukraine Faces Record Harvest Export Crisis

More than 570 ships have been attacked in the Black Sea this year, killing over 40 merchant sailors and crippling Ukraine’s grain exports.

The crisis has struck just as Ukrainian farmers completed their largest harvest since the invasion began in 2022. Officials estimate the country will produce 82 million tonnes of foodstuffs this year, adding to 10 million tonnes of stock from the previous season. Dmytro Barinov, president of the Ukrainian ports association Ukrport, described the situation as a perfect storm in an interview in Odesa. He noted that exports through the major terminals at Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi have nearly stopped following a sharp escalation in Russian drone strikes beginning in July.

Shipping volumes have collapsed from approximately 10 vessels per day to roughly 10 per month. Insurers have raised premiums for Odesa calls by five to ten times compared to the start of the year. Volodymyr Bubnov, who manages a 15,000-hectare farm in western Ukraine, said the costs are passed down to producers. He explained that farmers must sell immediately to cover rent, seeds, fuel, and loan repayments, leaving them trapped with limited options. Bubnov last exported through Odesa in mid-July, whereas grain typically flows to the ports constantly in normal years.

Artem Volkov, head of maritime law at the ANK law practice in Odesa, said Russian attacks have damaged silos, loading machines, and oil tanks. Farmers are storing crops in inland silos, which are now full, and are hesitant to use port storage due to the risk of total loss from a single strike. Alternative routes via rail, road, and smaller Danube ports cannot match the capacity of the Black Sea facilities. Barinov noted that one large vessel can carry 100,000 tonnes of grain, equivalent to 5,000 trucks, making replacement by land transport impossible.

Agricultural products account for nearly 60 percent of Ukraine’s export revenue. Government officials warn that the port disruption could cut farm exports by half and reduce the country’s gross domestic product by 1.5 percent. The Black Sea is now more dangerous than the Strait of Hormuz, where 121 ships were attacked this year. Russia and Ukraine supplied more than a quarter of global wheat exports last year, with much of the grain destined for North Africa.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this weekend about re-establishing a grain corridor. Barinov stated the issue requires resolution at the highest political level, noting that the world is suffering from both oil and food disruptions. Bubnov said his farm will continue operating, relying on its location near the Polish border for overland export routes.

Ukraine successfully opened a coastal grain corridor to the Bosporus after the UN-brokered deal collapsed in 2023, but recent drone strikes have killed at least 30 sailors on that route. Russia has redirected some grain to the Baltic and the Arctic port of Murmansk as Ukrainian drones targeted its southern ports. The next step in diplomatic efforts is to finalize a new corridor between Kyiv and Ankara to restore shipping lanes.