U.S. Chamber of Commerce says Ukraine's maritime transportation threatened
The business community, united by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (the Chamber), calls on international partners to immediately increase air and sea defense over Ukraine, in particular the Odesa region and critical Black Sea port infrastructure.
Russia continues to destroy and humiliate American businesses in Ukraine. Russia's recent missile and drone attacks targeting Ukraine and the Odesa region
- resulted in injuries and deaths of port workers and ship crews
- damaged ports, energy facilities, grain storage facilities and commercial vessels
- reduced the operation of terminals by up to 50%, some of them have been shut down, most of them are running on generators
- caused large-scale power outages and additional costs for the use of generators
- damaged power plants and power grids that require urgent repairs
- limited railroad connections to ports
- caused downtime of commercial vessels and demurrage charges
The current situation poses a direct risk of disrupting global food and commodity supply chains, with far-reaching consequences for international markets and food security, including higher food prices and worsening hunger in vulnerable countries.
It is difficult to estimate the volume of losses of grain and oilseed exporters in real time, but they are currently estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars per month. Without substantial strengthening of air and maritime defense systems, both Ukrainian and international businesses will face critical operational challenges, including the inability to charter vessels and obtain insurance coverage for vessels, crews, and cargo.
The Chamber calls on international partners to immediately strengthen Ukraine's air and maritime defense to save civilian lives, ensure the security of critical infrastructure, ports, and the continuity of global trade and food supply chains.