Ships were banned from traversing Novorossiysk, Russia’s largest port by volume, which handles up to 30% of the country’s grain exports, according to Reuters.
Three grain industry sources told the news agency on July 22 that a temporary ban on ship movements will be in place from midnight to 5 a.m. because of the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes. The notice was given verbally, and port authorities did not issue an official document.
The nighttime restrictions have not disrupted grain shipments, since Novorossiysk has continued normal operations outside the curfew hours. The report could not be independently verified.
Earlier in July, the Russian Transportation Ministry banned ships from anchoring in areas without air defences at the ports of Azov and Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait.
Novorossiysk, on Russia’s Black Sea coast, is the country’s largest port by volume. According to Marine Insight, it covers 3.4 square kilometres and has 89 working berths for all types of ships. The Russian logistics company Fesco has used Novorossiysk to transport railway cargo between Europe, Uzbekistan, and South Asia.
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