Ending Russian harassment of freighters going to Mariupol would boost cargo volumes by 15%, or 800,000 tons

Ending Russian harassment of freighters going to Mariupol would boost cargo volumes by 15%, or 800,000 tons, Oleksander Oleniky, the port director, tells the Center for Transportation Strategies. Last May, Russia opened a highway bridge without a drawbridge. The Kerch Strait bridge is too low for one-third of the freighters that historically serviced Mariupol port, the director says. One year later, the bridge pylons may be creating new currents and uncharted sandbars. Although regulations require passage of the Kerch Strait with a local pilot onboard, a 17,500-ton bulk carrier, the Maryland, ran aground in the Strait on March 14. Initially, it resisted the efforts of four tug boats to free it.