Shipowners suspended calls at ports around Odesa after intensified missile and drone strikes, with no vessels entering for nearly two weeks, Ukrainian officials said. Ukraine has imposed no formal closure, but alternative routes by rail, road and the Danube can handle only about half the lost maritime volume. In 2025, Black Sea shipping carried 95% of Ukraine’s grain exports and more than 85% of its food exports by volume. Ukraine has recently accounted for about 6% of global wheat exports and 11% of global corn exports, making prolonged disruption a risk for import-dependent countries in Africa and Asia. The disruption follows weeks of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s maritime corridor. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the United States and European allies to provide more Patriot interceptors as Russia intensifies ballistic-missile strikes.
