This article is the result of a joint investigation by Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List.
Ukraine has said it is “outraged” after a Russian-flagged vessel surreptitiously exported grain from a port under western sanctions in occupied Crimea to Houthi-controlled Yemen for the second time in a matter of months.
What Ukraine describes as “grain theft” via occupied ports and territories has become a common occurrence since the onset of Russia’s full invasion, with dozens of ships ferrying grain from occupied ports to the likes of Syria, Iran and other destinations.
Ukraine has long advocated for ports to reject such shipments should they be aware of their origin and says it has raised the issue with the International Maritime Organisation.
In this instance, the ship, Zafar (IMO: 9720263), loaded grain at the Port of Sevastopol in early October and arrived at Saleef (also known as As-Salif) in Yemen in mid-November. It docked in Djibouti in the days before travelling to Saleef.
All ships bringing goods into Houthi-controlled ports are mandated to stop in Djibouti for inspection by the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) for Yemen.
UNVIM did not respond to requests for comment about whether Zafar had been inspected while in Djibouti. Nor did the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), which is the UN secretariat focal point for UNVIM.
However, satellite imagery and ship tracking data showed Zafar stationed at a dock in Djibouti in early November after waiting in anchorage for several days.
Even if Zafar had been cleared by UNVIM, it could not have acted just because the true port of origin was occupied Crimea. UNVIM’s role and mandate is to facilitate the movement of commercial items to Yemeni ports not under the government’s control, while also contributing to the upholding of the UN arms embargo.
It is also possible that Zafar would not have been open to UNVIM about where it had sailed from. The fact that it masked its presence in Sevastopol by switching off its Automated Identification System (AIS), and was only known to have been there because it was spotted in satellite imagery, suggests it may have not. It would have had to present a bill of lading and clearance from a load port, although it is not possible to know what was stated on those forms without access to the ship’s documentation. The ultimate owner of Zafar is not known but the manager of the ship did not respond to requests for comment.
Such a scenario would still raise questions for the UN and UNVIM.
Zafar made an identical trip earlier this year, something that was reported by Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List at the time. Experts told Lloyd’s List and Bellingcat back then that grain shipments from occupied Sevastopol being approved by UNVIM, even if full details were not clear and outside its mandate, created an awkward situation for the UN given a majority of member nations have repeatedly voted against Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.
The UN General Assembly has passed a number of resolutions against Russia’s invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine dating as far back as 2014. It also demanded Russia withdraw all military forces from Ukrainian territory following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But unlike some resolutions from the Security Council, on which Russia sits and has a veto, General Assembly votes are not legally binding.
The Port of Sevastopol is currently under United States and United Kingdom sanctions, while the terminal that Zafar docked at in Sevastopol is under European Union sanctions.
Importantly, however, there are no UN sanctions on the Port of Sevastopol or Russia.
A spokesperson for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that it was “outraged” that Zafar had sailed to Yemen from Crimea, although it did not comment on the role of UNVIM. The spokesperson added that Ukraine “continues to make every effort to expose Russia’s systematic and widespread theft of Ukrainian grain, as well as its illegal transfer through Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories and unlawful activities in our closed sea ports.”
Neither the Russian government nor its foreign ministry responded to requests for comment.
As with earlier shipments, it was also not clear exactly where the grain carried by Zafar to Yemen was harvested. However, some farmers in occupied eastern Ukraine have previously accused Russian forces of stealing grain that was subsequently exported.
Yemen is one of the world’s poorest countries. The decade-long civil war between the Saudi-backed internationally recognised government and Iranian-backed Houthi forces has led to thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis. The UNHCR states millions have been displaced and there is a risk of widespread famine.
The November grain shipment carried by Zafar arrived in the days before international media reported mercenaries from Yemen were fighting on the frontline in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Financial Times detailed how hundreds of Yemenis were being forced to fight for Russia, with some saying they had been tricked into coming to Russia before being taken to the front lines against their will.
While there is no evidence of any connection between the shipments and the reports of Yemenis being deployed as fighters, the Financial Times reported US diplomats believed that Russia has been trying to explore contacts with the Houthis. However, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. General Pat Ryder told reporters in late November that the US had not noticed any “significant” aid or contributions from the Houthis to influence the war in Ukraine.
The US State Department did not address specific questions on Zafar when reached for comment by Bellingcat but it did express the importance of UNVIM’s role in facilitating the movement of goods while separately describing Russia’s theft of Ukrainian grain as “deplorable”.
How we Tracked Zafar
Zafar, a 180-metre-long bulk carrier, was captured on satellite imagery loading grain at the Port of Sevastopol on October 6. It had its Automated Identification System (AIS) transponder turned off, masking its location from maritime observers and marine tracking data sites.
Deliberately switching off AIS is generally considered a deceptive shipping practice unless a vessel is in danger.
Zafar had turned off its AIS on September 28, with its last recorded position just south of the Kerch Strait between Crimea and Russia. It then visited Sevastopol where it was pictured on satellite imagery loading grain before switching AIS back on on October 9.
The ship was pictured passing through the Bosphorus Strait on October 14 before heading through the Suez Canal and onwards towards Djibouti, according to AIS.
After leaving Djibouti, it sailed to Saleef in western Yemen where satellite imagery showed the ship being offloaded on November 13. AIS showed the ship in the port at the same time.
After leaving Saleef on November 18, Zafar sailed back through the Suez Canal, Bosphorus Strait and once again into the Black Sea.
At time of writing, Zafar had anchored in the Kerch Strait, a body of water between Russia and occupied Crimea, according to AIS data.
This was the same place it last disappeared from AIS before being captured in satellite imagery loading grain at the Port of Sevastopol.
Youri van der Weide and Eoghan Macguire contributed to this report.
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