Ukrainian corridor remains open but concerns persist

On Wednesday, a Russian missile targeted a civilian ship entering the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, claiming the life of a 43-year-old harbour pilot and leaving three crewmembers and a port worker injured. According to, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, vessel traffic continues both to and from the ports of Big Odesa, despite the attack.

Six vessels with 231K tons of agricultural products on board have left the ports of Big Odesa and are heading towards the Bosphorus, while five vessels are waiting to enter ports for loading. Traffic along the Ukrainian corridor continued despite russia’s systematic attacks on port infrastructure, Kubrakov notes.

#Ukrainian_Corridor: vessel traffic continues both to and from the ports of Big Odesa.

6 vessels with 231K tons of agricultural products on board have left the ports of Big Odesa and are heading towards the Bosphorus. 5 vessels are waiting to enter ports for loading. Traffic… pic.twitter.com/KDoIREvZIH

— Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) November 9, 2023

On the other hand, as Reuters reports, war risk insurance premiums have risen sharply after the attack, three industry sources said on Thursday.

Additionally, in a recent statement, INTERCARGO said they were deeply saddened and concerned to hear of the reported appalling missile attack on the 91,900dwt bulk carrier KMAX Ruler in the port of Odesa, which led to the death of a pilot and injury to four crew members onboard.

It is a stark reminder of the fragility of maritime safety and security and this act of aggression, capable of inflicting loss of innocent lives, must be vehemently condemned.

… said INTERCARGO

INTERCARGO also pointed out that it is imperative to underscore that merchant vessels, unrelated to the ongoing conflict, should not become pawns in any hostile engagement and it was fortunate this attack did not claim more lives.