MSC Suspends Container Services to Russia's Novorossiysk Port

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 26, MSC suspended all new cargo bookings to and from Russia's Novorossiysk port with immediate effect. MSC informed customers that its weekly scheduled container service to the port would be suspended until safety conditions permit the resumption of normal operations, and requested import and export customers to contact their local Russian agents to arrange alternative logistics solutions. MSC's operations at other Russian ports, including the Port of St. Petersburg, remain ongoing.

This adjustment comes following a drone attack on the MSC ULSAN III container vessel. MSC's customer advisory confirmed that the vessel was recently attacked, but did not disclose the specific timing of the incident, the extent of damage to the vessel, or the party responsible for the attack. Independent maritime security information indicates that the MSC ULSAN III is a Panama-flagged container vessel built in 2004, with a gross tonnage of 27,915 tons, a deadweight tonnage of approximately 39,600 tons, and a capacity of approximately 2,700 TEU.

Since August, multiple commercial vessels traveling to and from the Port of Novorossiysk have been attacked. On August 21, the RMS Team container vessel, with a capacity of approximately 1,100 TEU, was attacked by a drone while en route to Novorossiysk and caught fire; in early August, the Yanina container vessel, with a capacity of approximately 962 TEU, was attacked and sank approximately 130 nautical miles from Novorossiysk, with its crew rescued.

MSC has not yet announced a date for resuming bookings to the Port of Novorossiysk. The company's customer advisory indicates that a decision on when to resume the weekly scheduled service will be made based on local safety conditions.