A Chinese cargo ship entered the port of Sevastopol for the first time since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. This refers to the container ship Heng Yand 9, which belongs to the Chinese company Guangxi Shipping and sails under the flag of Panama, writes Financial Times. At the same time, the container ship has been in the port of Crimea at least three times in recent months. This became an unprecedented case of a foreign ship entering a Ukrainian port captured by Russia. Western sanctions have prohibited the use of Sevastopol since 2014. Although China has not joined the sanctions, its commercial ships previously avoided entering ports occupied by Russia.
Ukraine has lodged a protest with Beijing and warned of possible sanctions. “Ukraine has made it clear that such actions are unacceptable and expects international partners to strictly avoid contacts with occupied territories,” said the President's Commissioner for Sanctions Policy, Vladislav Vlasyuk.
Financial Times managed to confirm the last entry in September using satellite and radar images, transponder data, and photographs. The ship left Istanbul on September 2 and was recorded in Novorossiysk on September 6. After that, the crew reported heading to the port of Kavkaz, but satellite images from the European Space Agency on September 9 and 11 showed that the ship never reached the declared destination. However, it was found in Sevastopol.
As FT found out, the container ship repeatedly distorted transponder data during its two-week voyage in the Black Sea to hide its movements.
The ship's entries coincided with the launch of a railway line to Crimea in April, which, according to Moscow, allows containers to be delivered from Russia to the peninsula's ports. In August, Russian authorities also opened Berdyansk and Mariupol to foreign ships. Ukrainian officials believe that Russia uses this line to export goods from the occupied areas of Donetsk and Kherson regions.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry reported that citizens and companies are advised to avoid contacts with occupied territories of Ukraine. Beijing assured that each case will be considered individually.