The decision followed a recent drone strike on MSC’s ULSAN III, which was bound for Novorossiysk, according to an MSC notice to customers seen by Bloomberg. The company did not specify when the incident occurred.
MSC said it was closely monitoring the situation and advised customers to contact its Russian office to explore logistics alternatives for imports and exports until conditions improve.
“The company, like other international container lines, has limited its operations in Russia since 2022, when the Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” Bloomberg noted.
“Typically, remaining shipments to Russia on international lines include goods such as food, clothing and medicines.”
MSC continues to operate at other Russian ports, including
St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea. An employee at the company’s St. Petersburg
office confirmed to Bloomberg that operations in Novorossiysk are currently
suspended.