Ukraine will do everything possible to protect its seaports and guarantee grain exports at no less than last season's level,its deputy economy minister, Taras Vysotskiy, told Reuters on Wednesday.Russia has sharply stepped up attacks in recent weeks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports' infrastructure and on cargo vessels entering Odesa ports to export grain and other agricultural goods.
The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a new, easier-to-use online system that allows mariners to submit and track credential applications faster and more securely. The Application Submission and Additional Information Portal, known as ASAP, lets mariners apply for Merchant Mariner Credentials and Medical Certificates, upload documents and monitor application status in one place.
Ukraine on Wednesday reopened its Bystre Canal at the mouth of the Danube, which had been closed since a dredger exploded in late July, the Ukrainian state Seaport Authority said.Ukraine had been transporting grain on the Bystre and the Danube as an alternative route for its exports while access to its Black Sea ports was limited in the first year after Russia's invasion in 2022.