Ukraine urges states to bar Russia from International Maritime Organisation Council

Ivan Diakonov - 25 November, 06:25

Oleksii Kuleba. Photo: Kuleba on Telegram

Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, has appealed to the member states of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to prevent Russia from being re-elected to the Council during the vote scheduled for 28 November.

Source: Kuleba on Telegram

Quote: "A country that attacks ports and merchant vessels and kills sailors must have nothing to do with shaping global maritime safety standards.

Only a responsible state should be allowed to influence these processes – not one that is itself destroying the very foundations of maritime law. Electing Russia to the Council would send a signal of impunity to a state that is deliberately undermining the principles of freedom of navigation."

Details: Speaking at the opening of the 34th IMO Assembly, Kuleba stressed that Russia is conducting a systematic campaign of maritime terror, turning the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov into dangerous zones.

The minister said that since the start of the full-scale invasion, 162 sailors and port workers have been affected by Russia's large-scale attacks, and fatalities have been recorded. Russia has damaged or destroyed 131 civilian vessels. Only last week, Russia struck a ferry terminal and a civilian ship sailing under the Turkish flag.

Kuleba noted that around 40 foreign-flagged vessels remain blocked in Mykolaiv Oblast, while the surrounding waters are heavily mined. He also reiterated that Russia's destruction of the Kakhovka Dam has physically cut Ukraine's inland waterways off from access to the sea.

A separate threat is Russia's expansion of its shadow fleet – vessels that ignore IMO rules and pose risks to shipping and the environment.

Meanwhile, the Vice PM underlined that, despite the war, Ukraine's maritime corridor has enabled the export of more than 160 million tonnes of cargo, including 94 million tonnes of grain to 55 countries worldwide.

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