A Russian-backed “republic” in Ukraine is planning to nationalise a group of vessels stuck in the port of Mariupol since the war broke out.
The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has said it will create a merchant fleet from six cargo ships docked in the devastated city.
The leader of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, told reporters that legal decisions will be made to justify the move, according to the i24 website.
“Part of the [local] courts will pass into the jurisdiction of the DPR. Appropriate decisions have already been made on this. These ships will be renamed. The flags that will be on them are also already clear,” said Pushilin.
The DPR also said the first shipment of 2,700 tonnes of steel bound for Rostov in Russia has left the port on a Russian-owned cargo vessel that had also been stuck in Mariupol
Ukraine has said the move amounted to looting.
Russia’s National Defense Control Center, Mikhail Mizintsev, listed six foreign-owned ships still in the port.
One of these, the 21,000-dwt bulker Tzarevna (built 2004), has suffered a reported shell attack. A video posted to YouTube showed shrapnel damage and a crack in the hull.
The vessel is worth $7m, according to VesselsValue, and is carrying steel worth $12m. This was meant to go to Italy.
Italian owner seeks help
The Medi Telegraph reported that Italian shipowner Fratelli Cosulich has sought the help of the Italian government to stop the seizure of the Tzarevna.
Managing director Augusto Cosulich told the Medi Telegraph: “Our local agent told us that someone presented himself in the name of the Donetsk Republic and would make an offer to buy our ship, but at a ridiculous value. They made a blackmail, an offer that we have not even taken into consideration.”
Cosulich also told Il Giornale: “The news is that the Russians are taking everything, ship and cargo.”
The governor of the Liguria region, Giovanni Toti, said: “What is happening with the Tzarevna ship owned by a company of the Fratelli Cosulich Group, based in Genoa, is inadmissible and serious.”
Another ship, the 6,142-gt Azburg (built 1995) was reported to have been shelled for several hours before sinking.
Four other cargo vessels are also still in the port: the 3,300-gt Blue Star I (built 2005), the 6,800-gt Lady Augusta (built 1999), the 9,000-dwt Azov Concord (built 2008), and the 16,000-dwt bulker Smarta (built 2007), owned by Austria’s Intresco.
The DPR has claimed the owners have not taken measures to take the ships out, but how this would be possible was not made clear.
Crews have been evacuated, with some reportedly taken to Russia.
