Hundreds of seafarers are stranded in Ukraine ports following Russia’s invasion, with some facing food and fuel shortages

• Some crews have been unable to leave ports in Ukraine due to the conflict.
• Stranded ships are running out of essentials, the International Maritime Organization told Insider.
• Shipping and labor organizations told Insider there are also security risks preventing safe evacuations.

Hundreds of seafarers are stranded on vessels in Ukraine’s ports and nearby waters as a result of the conflict following Russia’s invasion.  

553 workers from 10 nationalities are currently stranded on 84 vessels, the International Maritime Organization confirmed to Insider on Monday. 

Ships are unable to leave ports on the Sea of Azov, an inland sea that lies between Russia and Ukraine, including the port city of Mariupol, which has been the target of a fierce, weeks-long Russian assault. Crew are also stranded aboard vessels in the Sea of Azov.

Ships in the ports of Mariupol, Mykolaiv and Kherson are the most high risk, the IMO said.

“As well as the dangers arising from bombardment, many of the ships concerned now lack food, fuel, fresh water, and other vital supplies,” IMO spokesperson Natasha Brown told Insider. Two seafarers have so far been casualties of the conflict, Brown said. 

Those dangers have also been outlined by the heads of IMO and International Labour Organization (ILO) in an April 8 letter sent to the UNCHR and other humanitarian organizations, highlighting the threats to seafarers’ health and wellbeing. The heads called on the UNCHR, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Médecins Sans Frontières to “take urgent action” in getting supplies to the seafarers.

In addition to the impact on crews’ wellbeing, the stranded vessels and crews at Ukraine’s ports illustrate the challenges of exporting and importing goods via sea following the invasion. Exports of commodities such as wheat and corn, of which Ukraine is a major supplier, have already been hampered by the closure of ports, while cities within Ukraine face food, water and energy shortages as imports are curbed.

The stranded ships are mostly bulk carriers and oil tankers, according to the IMO. 

In areas where there is less fighting, supplies are able to get through to ports, Brown said, but vessels still face risks leaving harbor.

“It may be difficult for ships to leave ports due to mines and the general security situation,” she said, “So if fuel is supplied, there needs to be certainty that ships would not encounter any danger while leaving ports and terminals.”

Last month, maritime and labor organizations called for a “blue corridor”  to safely evacuate stranded seafarers, but at present it has not been established.

“The establishment of such a corridor is severely hampered by the ongoing security risks, which constrain the option for ships to depart from ports in Ukraine,” Brown said, adding that talks on its establishment remain ongoing.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation noted that mines in particular are aggravating security risks.

“The ITF and our shipowner social partners welcomed blue corridors as a possible solution, but this proved to be difficult to implement as a safe passage when it became clear the true extent of mines laid by Russian forces in and around the ports,” ITF Seafarers’ Section Coordinator Fabrizio Barcellona told Insider.

Still, some crews have been repatriated, mostly overland, and about 10 ships have passed through the Sea of Azov into the Black Sea, Brown said. Previous estimates put the number of stranded crew at over 1,000 at one point.

In some cases, foreign crews have been replaced with local Ukrainian personnel, Brown said. Some seafarers are also under the protection of the Ukrainian army, the ILO told Insider.

The International Chamber of Shipping, along with the ITF, had informed the ILO and IMO about the developing humanitarian situation of the seafarers. 

Insider has reached out to the ICS for comment.