Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has published a list of captains of vessels accused of transporting stolen Ukrainian grain. In total, 31 ship masters have been named. “They can refuse to commit illegal actions, but they choose to make money from war and suffering. A similar list for ship captains, who transport Russian oil to circumvent sanctions, will be published,” stated an official working for the president of Ukraine. Ukraine’s own grain exports are plummeting. The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture is projecting a 38% decrease in Ukrainian corn exports from the previous year to 17.8m tonnes, an 18% decrease in wheat exports (15.2m) and a 19% decrease in barley shipments (2m), “under the assumption of no large changes to the national energy grid and commercial port infrastructure.” The Black Sea descended into a severe danger zone this month for merchant shipping with Russian military forces piling into the region and targeting Ukraine’s exports. Having gone all year without any merchant ships coming under attack, a string of commercial vessels have been hit by Russian forces in recent weeks. Ukraine has appealed to the International Maritime Organization to send an international monitoring mission. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsSeafarers