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By Pyotr Kozlov (Bloomberg) — Russian officials are proposing arming grain ships with machine guns and mobile missile launchers, as the world's top wheat exporter tries to counter Ukrainian drone attacks.
The nation's military and transport authorities are in talks with grain traders and shipowners to protect cargoes leaving through the Sea of Azov, according to people familiar with the matter. The sea normally handles about a quarter of Russia's grain shipments, but for the past two weeks, trade has been suspended by strikes on ports, vessels and other maritime infrastructure.
Moscow is recommending temporarily equipping bulk carriers with everything from armor plating and sandbags to anti-drone mesh and positions for heavy machine guns. Soldiers armed with Kalashnikovs will escort the vessels for the first part of their voyage, according to recommendations seen by Bloomberg.
The proposals underscore the threat posed by Ukrainian drones to Russia's multi-billion-dollar grain trade, curbing export revenues and hurting farm incomes at the peak of the harvest. Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on each other's commercial ships and ports in the Black Sea in the past two weeks, raising concerns about supplies and sending wheat prices to a two-year high.
Russia's ministry of transport, the ministry of defense and the Federal Agency and Sea and River Transport didn't respond to requests for comment.
Russia's navy can protect the country's commercial fleet, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, citing President Vladimir Putin's comments on Sunday that attacks on merchant vessels should be treated as acts of piracy. While Peskov acknowledged that installing weapons on civilian vessels is prohibited by international law, he didn't specifically refer to the military escorts being proposed.
Under Russia's so-called "go-pro" approach, military teams would board ships in Azov Sea ports, installing heavy machine guns on pre-built mounts for the first part of the voyage. Each gun should be fitted with a thermal or night-vision sights, according to the documents. The soldiers would leave the vessels after they pass through the Kerch Strait, taking the weapons and ammunition with them.
The proposal also calls for bulk carriers to sail in convoys between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea under the escort of military patrol boats, according to people familiar with the talks, who asked not to be identified discussing a confidential matter. Traders and shipowners would pay for the vessel modifications and military protection.
Still, there's skepticism among some shippers and traders about whether the measures would be effective, while some market participants warned they could prove costly.
Commercial vessel traffic at Russia's Azov Sea ports is at a standstill, according to analytics firm Logistic OS. Russia could lose 0.5 million to 1.5 million tons of grain exports a month if Azov Sea shipping restrictions remain, according to market researcher SovEcon.
Since last week, shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports in Odesa have also been halted following Russian military strikes.
Traffic through Russia's deep-water Black Sea ports is also down, but the facilities are still operating. Moscow is using rail subsidies to push cargoes from the Azov Sea to other destinations including Black Sea ports. It subsequently declared Black Sea waters unsafe for shipping.
