Ukraine’s FM Sybiha has requested a formal International Maritime Organization (IMO) monitoring mission for Odesa Oblast port, citing increased Russian attacks on port infrastructure and grain storage facilities.
According to Reuters, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on 16 October 2024 that the country has officially requested an International Maritime Organization (IMO), to send a mission to monitor ports in the southern Odesa area amid intensified Russian assaults.
Odesa Oblast is home to three ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi. These ports play a vital role in supporting Ukraine’s economy by exporting goods to global markets, and maintaining global food safety. The request is in response to the ongoing escalation in Russian missile attacks on Ukraine’s southern ports infrastructure. According to Ukrainian officials Russian forces have launched nearly 60 attacks against ports in the past three months. This has resulted in damage to 300 port infrastructure facilities, 22 civilian vessels, and approximately 300 port infrastructure.
Sybiha, who had just met with his Nordic-Baltic Eight counterparts, stressed the urgency of the current situation at a briefing held in Odesa.
Read More @ euromaidanpress.com