Ukrainian attacks in the waters of the Azov Sea, which have halted the activity of the Azov and Taman ports, have paralyzed Russian grain exports. In July, Russian exporters will deliver abroad 1.5 million tons of wheat, a third less than in the same month last year, when 2.1 million tons were exported, and half compared to the average of the last five years, of 3.1 million tons, estimates SovEcon, quoted by The Moscow Times.
According to the company’s estimates, exports will drop to the lowest level since 2017 and will essentially return to the values of a decade ago.
“The main cause of the decline is the navigation restrictions through the Kerch Strait”, explained the general director of SovEcon, Andrei Sizov.
On July 11, following the drone attacks that targeted over 100 ships in the Sea of Azov, Russian authorities announced to maritime transport companies that they no longer accept requests for passage through the Kerch Strait.
Consequently, according to SovEcon, up to 25% of the total Russian exports of grains and sunflower oil are at risk. This is the proportion of goods exported through shallow water ports located beyond the Kerch Strait.
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