From hugging the Turkish coast to anti-drone cages and armed guards, Russia-linked shipping companies are scrambling to mitigate their exposure to Ukraine's rapidly expanding maritime campaign in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. The latest evidence comes from the 28-year-old Suezmax tanker Caruzo, photographed by TankerTrackers.com passing Istanbul with unusual cage-like structures hanging over its aft section and netting covering the accommodation block. TankerTrackers believes these measures are aimed at protecting the superstructure from aerial drones and providing stand-off protection around the engine-room area against uncrewed surface vessels.
New defensive strategies
Low-tech barriers, armour, and sandbags are being paired with more fundamental changes to route planning. The Russian-flagged tanker Strateg attracted attention earlier this year for following the Turkish coastline instead of taking a direct route across open Black Sea waters. Other Russia-linked vessels have adopted similar coastal routings in search of the relative protection offered by proximity to NATO member Turkey. Some vessels also disappear from public AIS tracking for portions of voyages, although such gaps are long associated with sanctions.
Impact on trade
The maritime conflict is increasingly threatening agricultural trades. Many owners stopped calling at ports around Odesa following Russian attacks, while Ukrainian strikes this week forced all three grain terminals at Novorossiysk to suspend operations temporarily. Ukrainian grain exports are down 76% year-on-year so far this month.
Ukraine is seeking a halt to attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea even as its campaign stretches over 1,000 km north to one of Russia's most important Baltic energy export hubs. Kyiv has proposed through a third party that Russia and Ukraine mutually suspend attacks on civilian targets, according to Reuters.
On Friday morning, firefighters were battling a blaze at Ust-Luga on the Gulf of Finland following another major Ukrainian drone assault. Leningrad governor Alexander Drozdenko reported more than 50 drones shot down across the region, with the extent of damage still being assessed. Ust-Luga is one of Russia's largest petroleum export outlets and has become a regular target this year as Kyiv attempts to throttle the energy revenues financing Moscow's war effort.