A cargo ship owned by a Chinese company has arrived at the port of Sevastopol for the first time since Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, as reported by the Financial Times on Tuesday, referencing satellite images, photographs, and transponder data.
This occurrence of a foreign tanker making multiple stops at Sevastopol—a site that is internationally recognized as part of Ukraine and subject to Western sanctions—is a significant development.
The Panama-flagged container vessel Heng Yang 9, operated by Guangxi Changhai Shipping Company, has reportedly docked in Crimea at least three times in recent months, according to Ukrainian officials quoted by the FT.
The vessel anchored in Sevastopol on September 14 after leaving Istanbul on September 2 and briefly stopping near Russia’s Novorossiysk port four days later.
Despite the crew claiming they were bound for Port Kavkaz, satellite images from the European Space Agency taken on September 9 and 11 indicated that the ship had changed its course to Sevastopol.
The FT highlighted that the ship consistently falsified its transponder data during its two-week journey in the Black Sea to obscure its route.
Ukrainian presidential officials stated that the vessel had also been to Sevastopol in June and August before proceeding to Turkey and Egypt, potentially transporting goods from the Russian-controlled Donetsk and Kherson regions, which are known for their industrial and agricultural production.
“Ukraine has made it clear that such activities are unacceptable and expects all international allies and businesses to avoid interactions with the occupied areas,” said Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s sanctions policy representative, to the FT.
While China has not participated in Western sanctions against Russia, its ships had previously refrained from visiting Crimean ports, according to the FT.
Following the Heng Yang 9’s initial docking in Sevastopol in June, Ukraine’s embassy in Beijing issued a formal complaint, as noted by Vlasiuk.
In response, China’s Foreign Ministry committed to investigating the situation while reiterating its guidance for Chinese companies and citizens to avoid occupied Ukrainian territories.
Previous investigations have uncovered secret shipping connections to Crimea despite ongoing sanctions. The investigative outlet OCCRP reported that various vessels, including the Palau-flagged General and Germany’s MS Sudkap, as well as the Greek tanker Kriti, had all docked at the peninsula.
This development comes soon after China accepted its first shipment of liquefied natural gas from Russia’s Arctic LNG-2 project, which is under U.S. sanctions.
In just three weeks, five additional tankers delivered shipments to China, and the United States has not taken action to halt these transactions.
