Odessa shelled, port infrastructure damaged

According to Ukrainian media, in the early hours of July 18, explosions took place in the Odessa and Nikolaev oblasts. The Chairman of the Public Council of the Military Administration of the Odessa region of Ukraine, Sergey Bulatchuk, posted on his Telegram channel that the infrastructure of the port of Odessa had been damaged, and that fragments of the downed missiles and the resulting shockwaves of the explosions had damaged the infrastructure of the port.

On July 17, local time, Russia announced the termination of an agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports. The agreement between Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, signed in Istanbul last July, allowed Ukrainian exporters to resume exports of corn, wheat, sunflower oil and other commodities from three ports around the city of Odessa. Since exports resumed last August, Ukraine has exported more than 32 million tons of food products.

Two days after the attack on the Crimean bridge, Russian armed forces began striking Ukraine's infrastructure, targeting energy, defense industry, military administration and communications facilities throughout the country. Since then, air raid warnings have been issued daily throughout Ukraine, sometimes even nationwide.

The Port of Odessa is the largest port in Ukraine and one of the largest ports on the Black Sea coast, as a natural unfreezing port with well-developed water transportation, in 2021, the Port of Odessa accomplished a container throughput of 671,500 TEU. about 70% of Ukraine's imports and exports are transported by water, of which the Port of Odessa is responsible for about three-quarters of it.

The port has a container terminal, a bulk cargo terminal, a crude oil terminal, a gas terminal and a passenger terminal. The container terminal, which has been operated by Hamburg Port and Logistics since 2011, covers an area of 35 hectares, with a total quay length of 970 meters, 3 berths, a water depth of 14 meters, 6 quay bridges and 11 yard bridges, and 2 railroads connecting to the outside of the port.