SHIPPING in the northern Black Sea has been hampered by local weather conditions during the winter months, according to Risk Intelligence, reports Athens' Safety4Sea.

Hans-Kristian Pedersen, Mediterranean and Black Sea analyst, highlights that the full year of 2023 saw a nearly 17 per cent increase in the number of recorded incidents in the Black Sea compared with 2022.

This corresponds to the Black Sea becoming a greater part of the frontline during 2023 the second year of the war in Ukraine with an increased focus on maritime operations.

However, the recorded incidents were not evenly dispersed throughout the 2023, as incidents involving Ukrainian Danube and Black Sea ports rose following the Russian withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023.

But the Black Sea then saw fewer incidents at the end of 2023 coinciding with the increasing trade using the Ukraine 'Humanitarian Corridor' for vessels transiting to the same Black Sea port which had been part of the UN-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative.

During the winter months several, both eastern and western, Black Sea ports reported operational closures or reduced operational capacity due to local weather conditions.