Captain of Foreign Vessel Suspected in Illegal Export of 6,000 Tons of Ukrainian Sunflower Seeds from Crimea

The captain of a foreign vessel is suspected of illegally exporting more than 6,000 tons of Ukrainian sunflower seeds through a closed port in Crimea. He deliberately concealed the route by turning off navigation systems and entering fictitious data.

This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

Law enforcement officers served a notice of suspicion to the captain of a foreign vessel that was exporting Ukrainian agricultural products through the closed ports of the peninsula.

According to the investigation, in December 2023, the captain of the SAN COSMAS vessel, which flies the flag of the Kingdom of Eswatini, contrary to the legislation of Ukraine and the norms of international maritime law, entered the closed Feodosia Commercial Sea Port. There, the vessel was loaded with more than six thousand tons of sunflower seeds.

In late December, the captain again violated the law by leaving the port. To conceal his actions, he periodically turned off the automatic identification system (AIS) and entered fictitious data on the ship's course, which is a violation of the rules of navigation.

Given the temporary occupation of Crimea by Russia, since April 2014, the Feodosia seaport has been closed, and the units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine have been relocated to the mainland.

He is charged with repeated violation of the procedure for entering and leaving the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine with the aim of harming the state interests, committed by an official using his official position. The sanction of the article provides for up to five years in prison.

Railroad trains with special wagons for the transportation of grain and other bulk cargo were spotted in October last year. The grain wagons were placed both at the railway station and at the port's berth.

Law enforcement officers also served a notice of suspicion to the captain of the Russian vessel ZAID, which was transporting Ukrainian grain. Subsequently, the vessel was heading to a Syrian seaport under his command. This is the seventeenth Russian captain to be notified of such suspicion.

Анна Бальчінос