Articles by Olesia Safronova and Áine Quinn

Russian Missile Hits Fourth Cargo Ship in Ukraine This Month

A Russian missile hit a fourth cargo ship in Ukraine this month, as the Kremlin ramps up its attacks on Kyiv’s trade infrastructure. A grain storage facility at Odesa port was attacked on Monday, killing one person and injuring two …

Russian Commodities Aren’t Safe in Red Sea as Houthis Attack

Yemen’s Houthi militants have attacked more merchant ships hauling Russian commodities than products from anywhere else in the world, highlighting the limits of safe-passage assurances that the rebels gave Moscow earlier this year. Back in January and March, the Houthis …

Chinese Ships Get Cheaper Insurance to Navigate Red Sea

Chinese-owned merchant ships are getting hefty discounts on their insurance when sailing through the Red Sea, another sign of how Houthi attacks in the area are punishing the commercial interests of vessels with ties to the west. The militants began …

Insurers Seek to Exclude US, UK Ships From Red Sea Coverage

Some ship insurers are starting to avoid covering US and UK merchant ships against war risks when they navigate the southern Red Sea, another sign of blowback since the two nations’ airstrikes on Yemen last week. Houthi militants have stepped …

Attacks on Red Sea Shipping Menace 12% of Global Trade as War Risk Premiums Rise

Fresh attacks on vessels in the Red Sea are raising insurance premiums for ships in the region and menacing commerce in a conduit for 12% of world trade. War-risk premiums for some vessels have been climbing since shortly after the …

Update: Ukraine Launches Grain Insurance Program With Marsh McLennan, Lloyd’s

Ukraine is starting an insurance program with broker Marsh McLennan and Lloyd’s of London to provide cover for grain vessels sailing from Ukraine’s deep-sea ports, just days after a ship was hit by a Russian missile. The country is launching …

Ukraine’s Risky Bet on Black Sea Shipping Corridor Pays Off as Ships Stream Into Ports

A steady stream of ships is hauling grain and metals from Ukraine a month after the first inbound vessel sailed through its new shipping corridor in the Black Sea in defiance of Russian threats. More than 30 vessels have called …

Ukraine Grain Now Relies on a River That’s Drying in the Drought

The threat of Russian aggression towards Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and ships will force the country to export its enormous quantities of grain by river, road and rail — all of which are fraught with challenges. After exiting the Black …

Ukraine Plea to Keep Grain Moving Clashes With Reality Facing Insurers, Shippers

Ukraine is pushing for grain exports to continue from key ports following Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal. Insurers and shippers aren’t so sure. Russia’s termination of the pact this week means that it will no longer guarantee …

As Ukraine Grain Deadline Approaches, Pact Is Already Nearly Broken

Global leaders are racing to salvage an international deal to allow Ukraine’s grain shipments by sea before it expires in less than two weeks. They face a key problem: the pact, already extended three times, is nearly defunct. The nation’s …