The Panama ship registry issues recommendations for its vessels sailing in the waters of Ukraine and Russia, in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov
The Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) through the Panama Ship Registry, published on February 24, 2022, the Merchant Marine Notice MMN 03/2022, which emphasizes that its ships must maintain maximum vigilance and increase security conditions on board, to protect both the seafarers on board and the ship, when they are sailing in Ukrainian and Russian waters, in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Currently, in the Port of Odessa there are two Panamanian-registered vessels, and in the area established in the Notice to the fleet, there are approximately twenty-eight more vessels, for this reason the Panamanian Ship Registry, acting as the responsible entity, remains in constant communication with the operators of these ships, so that they increase all security measures on board and, as far as possible, move away from this area, to avoid situations that could increase the risk on board the ships.
We manage information that in this warlike conflict, between Russia and Ukraine, at least three vessels have been affected, among them the Marshall Island flag ship “Yasa Jupiter” with IMO number: 9848132, the Moldova “Millennial Spirit” with number IMO: 7392610, as well as the one belonging to the Panamanian Ship Registry, the ship “Namura Queen” with IMO: 9841299, causing serious damage and putting the safety of the crews and the environment at risk.
The ship NAMURA QUEEN, with IMO 9841299, owned by the company NIKKO KISEN CO., LTD. and operated by the company CLEANSEAS SHIPMANAGEMENT, INC., flagged on April 7, 2020, was hit today, February 25, 2022 by a missile in the stern, while it was waiting to load grains in the Port of Pivdenny (Yuzhny), in Odessa, located in the Southwest of Ukraine.
The operating company of the ship confirmed that, so far, the 21 crew members of the ship, none of Panamanian nationality, are safe. Unofficial reports indicate that the ship’s propeller and rudder blade could have been damaged and that as a result of the impact, a fire was generated on board which was put out by firefighters from the port facility, without affecting the environment.
The vessel is currently anchored near Yuzhny, in the Black Sea, at a latitude of 46.55403° and longitude of 31.09921°, awaiting instructions from the company.
The Republic of Panama, as a member state of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS), expects that the provisions of this legal framework be implemented and complied with by the belligerent nations, and that the rules relating to the international law and trade on the neutrality of merchant ships be respected.
