Russian terrorism, as expected, has done what is known as "shooting itself in the foot" ....
Russia's grain export problems began after the Ukrainian attack on Novorossiysk.
Russian grain exporters are facing increasing difficulties in exporting their products to world markets amid an escalating situation in the Black Sea, where the Russian military attacked Ukrainian ports on the Danube and the AFU responded with an attack on Novorossiysk.
Grain traders, ocean carriers and insurers are increasingly wary of dealing with Russian counterparties and have sharply increased freight rates for them, as well as insurance fees, Reuters reported, citing sources in shipping and trading companies.
Insurance for grain carriers bound for Novorossiysk and Taman, which account for 70% of Russia's grain exports, costs tens of thousands of dollars more per day than for similar ships bound for Romania or Bulgaria, the agency's sources said.
And before the Kremlin pulled out of the grain deal, such insurance required paying a "risk premium" of about $10,000 a day. But after the Ukrainian strikes, the stakes have risen even higher, Reuters sources said.
The escalation in the Black Sea will hit Russian exports as shipping companies are already wary of sending their ships to Russian ports, especially newer, larger vessels, according to two of the agency's interlocutors.
After pulling out of the grain deal, Russia said it would consider any merchant ships entering Ukraine a legitimate military target. Kiev responded with a similar warning and launched maritime drone strikes against ships near Novorossiysk.
On the night of August 4, the large military landing ship Olenegorsk Miner was damaged, the fourth BDC to come under Ukrainian attack since the start of the war. On the night of August 5, a kamikaze drone attacked the tanker Sig near Kerch.
This further increases the risks for shipowners, at least three of whom have already stopped carrying Russian grain, while others must constantly calculate the risks of sanctions. This is not easy, given that the ownership structure of ports in Russia is opaque and many fear that their ultimate owners could be sub-sanctioned individuals, said Mike Salthouse, head of external affairs at insurer North Standard.
Even refueling at a Russian port could turn out to be a sanctions violation, another senior industry executive said. "What kind of normal trade are we talking about?" - He lamented.
Last year, Russia exported a record 60 million tons of grain with the help of major Western traders Cargill, Louis Dreyfus and Viterra. But all of them announced their withdrawal from the Russian market on July 1.
https://www.moscowtimes.ru/2023/08/08/u-rossii-nachalis-problemi-s-eksportom-zerna-posle-udarov-ukraini-po-novorossiisku-a51405