Ukraine Seizes Cargo Ship & Charges Crew With 5-Year In Prison For Illegally Entering Crimea Port
Two seafarers on a small cargo ship could face up to five years in prison after Ukrainian officials charged them for entering Crimea and violating sanctions by trading in Russian-occupied Sevastopol.
Ukraine seized the Usko MFU, a 2,850-dwt vessel registered in Cameroon, in July, charging its crew for transporting grain from the occupied area in violation of Ukrainian law.
The latest charges have been filed against the vessel’s second officer, who Ukrainian authorities claim was in command during one of the ship’s illegal entries into Crimea.
The first officer, the ship’s master and an Azerbaijani citizen had previously been charged with similar offences. Both face imprisonment for sanction violations.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor for Crimea and the City of Sevastopol has filed charges against the crew in an ongoing effort to seize vessels that help Russia escape sanctions.
The vessel was seized in early July while sailing near the port of Reni in the Danube, which is within Ukrainian territory.
As per sources, the ship carried 3,000 tonnes of agricultural products from Sevastopol and delivered them to Turkey in November 2023.
The ship reportedly returned to Crimea several times with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off to avoid detection.
The 12-person crew comprising of five Turkish and seven Azerbaijan nationals have been arrested aboard the vessel since its detention.
A Romanian pilot who was directing the ship at the time of its detention told local media that Ukrainian authorities boarded the vessel on July 4, 2024, and ordered it to anchor near Reni.
Ukrainian prosecutors claim that the Usko MFU travelled to Crimea in May and June 2024 to transport goods from the closed port of Sevastopol to Istanbul and other locations.
The prosecutor’s office said these actions are serious violations of Ukrainian law and international maritime protocols, mainly because the ship’s AIS was turned off during its arrival and departure from Crimea.
Apart from the detention of the Usko MFU, Ukraine has filed charges against 21 vessels for violating the sanction on trading with Crimea since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Despite these efforts, illegal trade in the region continues, with grain being transported from Russian-occupied territories to global markets, mainly in the Middle East.
As of September, the crew is still on the detained ship, awaiting further legal actions.
Ukrainian officials are using the case as a warning to other vessels trading with Russian-occupied territories and indicating that any violation of sanctions will end up with serious consequences.
Reference: TradeWinds
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