As of 11 am Thursday, 12 ships were waiting near the Kerch Bridge

As of 11 am Thursday, 12 ships were waiting near the Kerch Bridge for Russian permission and pilot assistance to pass through the Kerch–Yenikale shipping canal en route Mariupol, the port director of Mariupol writes on his Facebook page. In addition, he writes, 10 ships are awaiting permission to exit the Sea of Azov after loading cargo in Mariupol. First dredged in the 1870s, the maritime channel links the Black Sea and the Azov Sea and must be traversed with pilot assistance due to its relatively shallow average depth.