Kherson and Mykolayiv, the two Black Sea ports closest to the Sea of Azov, had the biggest cargo increases of Ukraine’s 10 largest ports in January

Kherson and Mykolayiv, the two Black Sea ports closest to the Sea of Azov, had the biggest cargo increases of Ukraine’s 10 largest ports in January, the Sea Ports Authority reports. Because of Russian harassment of Ukraine-bound merchant ships, cargo handled by Mariupol in January was down 27% year-on-year. By contrast, cargo handled by Kherson last month was up 27% y-o-y. Cargo handled by Mykolayiv was up 19%. On Monday, EU Foreign Ministers meet in Brussels to discuss sanctioning Russia for its interference in shipping in the Azov.