Civil vessels may safely use the Azov Sea port of Mariupol in Ukraine as the danger from mines has been eliminated, the Russian defence ministry said on May 26.
According to the Russian ministry, a maritime humanitarian corridor was opened on May 25, in the Azov Sea.
Russia took full control of Mariupol last week when more than 2,400 Ukrainian fighters surrendered at the besieged Azovstal steelworks.
However, ships navigating in the area should still be extremely vigilant for any free-floating mine in the Black Sea.
We remind that sea mines were reported in the Black Sea. In fact, London P&I Club had informed about three recent reports of sea mines drifting in the area.
As it was mentioned, on 26 March, an unidentified floating object similar to a mine or a bomb was sighted by a Turkish fishing vessel reported at the vicinity of anchorage area for bulk carrier vessels at Istanbul Strait north anchorage area.
Furthermore, on March 28, Turkish and Romanian responders neutralized more Soviet-era sea mines that were found drifting in the Black Sea.
