Naval mines ‘problematic’ for Pinoy sailors in Black Sea ships–source

NAVAL mines floating in the Black Sea apparently remain a problem for Filipino sailors and others as dozens of ships “marooned” need to ensure a safe landing at Kyiv ports.

The mines, according to Russian sources, have been left there f loating by Ukraine in order to influence the Philippines’s stance in respect of the Ukraine crisis. The Philippines was one of 160 countries that signed the United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, but it has so far continued to engage Moscow diplomatically.

The Russian sources asserted that Kyiv is deliberately blocking the Black Sea and continues to evade the liberation of its controlled harbors in the sealane.

In contrast, sources claimed that Russia has completed the de-mining of Berdyansk and Mariupol ports to ensure the safe passage of ships, especially those carrying grains that other countries need.

Russia and Ukraine have been accusing each other over who is to blame for the late deliveries of cargo due to the mined sea routes. Food prices have already spiked, leading to inflationary spirals that have affected many countries that include the Philippines.

In early June, a UN alert was cited in a Bloomberg report as saying that the Pinoy seafarers account for a third of the 450 sailors trapped in 80 ships stranded near the Black Sea ports. The other sailors come from Syria, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The naval mines problem in the Black Sea was earlier the focus of attention of UN Maritime Security Adviser Peter Adams who expressed worry over the disastrous effects of the mines to cargo ships.

Adams said that it will take some time before the sea routes can be safely navigated on, and this will have disastrous effects on shipping, especially of grains, of which both Russia and Ukraine are key producers. This, at a time when global supply chains have already been reeling from the logistics problems that began in the pandemic.