Black Sea, grain, and two humanitarian corridors: unblocking Ukrainian shipping amid the Russian invasion

ABSTRACT

Since the start of the full-fledged Russian invasion, Ukraine has attempted twice to unlock its Black Sea ports, both of which took place after significant changes during hostilities. The initial attempt, the Black Sea Grain Initiative of 2022–2023, facilitated by the UN, employed mediation techniques from the hybrid stage of the conflict 2014–2022. The unilateral humanitarian corridor (since 2023) relied on Ukraine’s military capabilities to prevent Russia from interfering with neutral shipping. This was combined with the efforts of international partners and businesses. The article examines the advantages and disadvantages of each approach to ensuring neutral shipping in conflict zones.

KEYWORDS:

• Ukraine
• Russia
• armed conflict
• Black Sea
• blockade
• merchant shipping

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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2. UNCTAD, ”Maritime trade.”

3. IMO, ”Circular Letter No.4518.”

4. European Commission. ”EU-Ukraine Solidarity.”

5. Statistics Ukraine. ”Ukraine’s Foreign Trade.”

6. Ministry of Economy. ”Ukraine exported.”

7. AgroPortal, ”Grain Logistics.”

8. Gorbachev, ”The New Reality.”

9. Bilenets et al., ”Three Seas Initiative.”

10. Kolisnichenko, ”The sea ports.”

11. Datskevych, ”Russia’s war slashes.”

12. Drobyazko, ”War for Black Sea.”

13. Danylyuk, ”Russian Total War.”

14. Nagurney et al., ”Multicommodity International.”

15. Berman et al., ”How Ukraine Overcome.”

16. Ben Hassen and El Bilali, ”Conflict in Ukraine.”

17. ”G7: Russia Extending.”

18. Kormych and Malyarenko, ”From Gray Zone.”

19. Konrad, ”Northern Black Sea.”

20. Skytek. ”Russian Invasion.”

21. OSCE. ”Report on Violations.”

22. United Nations, ”Initiative on the Safe Transportation.”

23. United Nations, ”Black Sea Grain.”

24. United Nations, ”Note to Correspondents.”

25. IMO. ”Circular Letter No. 4748.”

26. Romaniuk, ”Battle for Zmiinyi.”

27. Sutton, ”Russian Navy.”

28. Armstrong, ”Russo-Ukrainian War.”

29. ”Reznikov: Ukraine’s Coastal Defence.”

30. Roblin, ”Ukraine Blasts Russian Tug.”

31. Ukrainska Pravda, ”Ukrainian defenders attack.”

32. Romaniuk, ”Battle for Zmiinyi.”

33. Haines, ”Russia in the Black Sea.”

34. IMO. ”Circular Letter No. 4526.”

35. Zartman, ”The timing of peace initiatives.”

36. Malyarenko and Wolff, ”Unfulfillable Promise.”

37. Germond, ”Ukraine War.”

38. United Nations, ”Memorandum of Understanding.”

39. United Nations, ”Procedures for Merchant Vessels.”

40. Malyarenko and Wolff, ”Unfulfillable Promise.”

41. ”Memorandum of Implementation.”

42. ”Protocol on the Results.”

43. ”Package of Measures.”

44. OSCE, ”Peaceful presence.”

45. Kormych et al., ”Rescaling the legal dimensions.”

46. IMO, SOLAS Consolidated.”

47. IMO, ”ISPS Code.”

48. Soldatenko, ”The Black Sea Grain Deal.”

49. Pedrozo, ”The Black Sea Grain.”

50. See note 49 above.

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52. Dannenbaum, ”What You Need to Know.”

53. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation, ”Busting European Union.”

54. Kormych and Averochkina, ”Ukrainian Maritime Industry.”

55. IPHR, ”War Crimes at Sea.”

56. Joint Coordination Centre, ”Vessel Movements.”

57. Francis et al., ”Russia attacks Odessa port.”

58. ”Russian Attack on Odesa.”

59. Joint Coordination Centre, ”Vessel movement – Outbound.”

60. ISM Report, ”ISM Freight.”

61. ”In Ukraine, The Price.”

62. “EU ”Solidarity Lines.”

63. FAO, ”World food commodity prices.”

64. FAO, ”FAO Food Price Index.”

65. United Nations, ”Procedures for Merchant Vessels.”

66. USPA, ”Memorandum.”

67. Soldatenko, ”The Uncertainty.”

68. Socor, ”Ukrainian Trade Blockade.”

69. Sari, ”Legal Resilience.”

70. Kittrie, ”Law as a Weapon.”

71. Ministry for Communities, ”Grain initiative under threat.”

72. Defence Intelligence, ”Classified Report.”

73. ”Grain Corridor.”

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75. Global Rights Compliance, ”Agriculture Weaponized.”

76. Quinn and de Sousa, ”Ukraine’s Lost Crops.”

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78. Diakun, ”UN-approved shipment.”

79. ”Lavrov Sees No Progress.”

80. Nichols, ”UN concerned.”

81. Ulyanitskiy, ”The World is being saved.”

82. ”Putin Demands.”

83. Sutton, ”Russian Ship.”

84. Joint Coordination Centre, ”Beacon on the Black Sea.”

85. IMO, ”Circular letter No. 4747.”

86. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. ”Press Release.”

87. ”Russia to inspect ships.”

88. Rubryka, ”Russia launches attack.”

89. United Nations. ”Attacks on Odesa Port.”

90. Datsenko, ”In seven days.”

91. Petrushko, ”Burnt corridor.”

92. United Nations, ”Secretary-General Strongly Condemns.”

93. Petrushko, ”Big recap.”

94. ”Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Danube ports.”

95. MFA of Ukraine, ”After withdrawing.”

96. Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. ”Statement by the Ministry.”

97. IMO. ”Circular Letter No. 4748.”

98. Haines, ”War at Sea.”

99. Friedman, ”To Blockade or Not.”

100. Due to the authors’ interviews.

101. Kunytskyi, ”How Ukraine ensures.”

102. Defense Express, ”The Transformation.”

103. Militarnyi, ”Storm Shadow.”

104. President of Ukraine, ”Volodymyr Zelenskyy.”

105. Black Sea News, ”A database of attacks.”

106. Defense Express, ”Why the Attack on Novorossiysk.”

107. Sutton, ”Ukraine’s Attack on Sevastopol.”

108. Defence Intelligence, ”Ukraine returned.”

109. Dickinson, ”Putin’s fleet retreats.”

110. ”Russia says tanker hit.”

111. Cohen and Inozemtsev, ”How to expel Russia.”

112. Morrow, ”When Do States Follow the Laws of War?.”

113. Pedrozo, ”Russia – Ukraine Conflict’, 52–53.

114. Fink, ”Awakening the Law of Contraband’, 707.

115. IMO, ”Circular Letter No. 4769.”

116. ”Temporary corridors.”

117. IMO. ”Circular Letter No. 4748.”

118. IMO, ”Circular Letter No. 4769.”

119. Interlegal, ”Shipping in wartime.”

120. Kunytskyi, ”How Ukraine ensures.”

121. VoA, ”Ukraine suspended.”

122. Defense Express, ”Ukraine’s Maritime Drones.”

123. Ports of Ukraine, ”Ukraine is waiting.”

124. ”Minesweeper group.”

125. Akin, ”Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria.”

126. Kyrychenko, ”Breakdown of the ‘grain agreement.”.”

127. Tarasovskyi, ”Temporary corridor.”

128. Bukatiuk, “20 billion from ”Big Construction.”

129. Fasii, ”War Risks in Shipping Contracts’, 24.

130. Government Portal, ”The total investment.”

131. USAID, ”USAID Announces.”

132. Kunytskyi, ”How Ukraine ensures.”

133. Interlegal, ”Maritime Days.”

134. Zharykova, ”Export through the temporary corridor.”

135. ”Strategy of Maritime Security.”

136. ”More than 50 vessels.”

137. ”Grain sold out.”

138. Grigorenko, ”Safe corridor.”

139. From authors’ interviews with representatives of shipping industry (2023, October 21).

140. UaProm. ”Temporary sea corridor.”

141. ISM Report, ”Charterers of large-tonnage vessels.”

142. Grigorenko, ”Safe corridor.”

143. Lozovenko, ”Russians Target Liberian Ship.”

144. Kubrakov, ”Since August 8.”

145. Kubrakov, ”One more attempt.”

146. Quinn and Choursina, ”Ukraine’s Risky Bet.”

147. United Nations, ”Black Sea Grain Initiative.”

148. Black Sea News, ”Grain Corridor.”

149. IMO. ”Circular Letter No.4748.”

150. Forbes Ukraine, ”33.8 million tons.”

151. Created by authors based on ISM Report data (ismreport.com).

Additional information

Funding

Borys Kormych gratefully acknowledges funding from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Notes on contributors

Borys Kormych

Borys Kormych is a Doctor of Law Science, Professor, Head of Department of Maritime, and Customs Law at National University Odessa Law Academy. He is also the Editor-in-chief of Lex Portus journal and non-residence fellow, Department of Operations and Information Management, Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Tetyana Averochkina

Tetyana Averochkina is a Doctor of Law Science, Professor of Department of Maritime, and Customs Law at National University Odessa Law Academy.

Liudmyla Kormych

Liudmyla Kormych is a Doctor of Science (History), Professor, Head of Department of Political Theories, at National University Odessa Law Academy.