REUTERS
Russia has banned the movement of ships in the Kerch Strait on Wednesday, August 9, citing maritime safety measures in relation to the construction of a bridge aimed to connect mainland Russia with the occupied Crimean Peninsula.
"In order to ensure the safety of navigation while conducting maritime operations during the construction of a transport passage through the Kerch Strait ... movement of all ships and vessels shall be prohibited from 06:00 to 18:00 Moscow time on August 9, 2017," says a corresponding order of the Kerch sea port’s captain has been published on the website of the Russian Black Sea Port Authority.
Read alsoHague court starts to consider Naftogaz lawsuit vs Russia on seizure of assets in CrimeaThe ban does not apply to ships of the Russian Navy and those of the federal security agencies of the Russian Federation, as well as vessels involved in the technological process of construction of the bridge.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine is preparing to lodge a lawsuit in connection with the losses incurred due to the construction by Russia of the Kerch bridge to the occupied Crimea.
Russian authorities are planning to block navigation across the Kerch Strait for the total of 23 days during the bridge construction.
After the bridge is built, certain types of ships with a bigger hull will no more be able to pass through the Kerch Strait, which will entail losses to the Ukrainian ports.