Maria Angelicoussis company Maran Dry Management (MDM) announced on Tuesday that it managed to evacuate 35 seafarers stuck on two of its capesizes in Ukraine.
The officers and crew had been on the 180,900-dwt Maran Excellence (built 2016) and 179,700-dwt Maran Astronomer (built 2012), which are still at Yuznhyy port.
The two vessels are among more than 40 larger commercial ships, mainly bulkers, trapped in war-torn Ukraine after Russian forces invaded there on 24 February.
MDM’s announcement came after Greece’s shipping ministry announced on Monday that it helped evacuate a number of seafarers from two Greek-controlled vessels it didn’t identify.
The company expressed its “deep and grateful thanks” to Greek authorities for cooperating in the evacuation of the 23 Philippinos, nine Greeks and three Romanians.
A sizeable number of ethnic Greeks are living in Ukraine and the government in Athens has been busy organising several evacuation operations to get as many out of the country as it possibly can.
An MDM spokesperson declined to comment on how many seafarers remain on the company’s vessels still berthed at Yuzhnyy.
Dozens of other seafarers remain trapped in the country, fearing for their lives as fighting nears the ports they’re in.
Evacuation also does little to help owners cope with soaring war risk premiums in the region from the dwindling number of underwriters still willing to quote them.
At least five ships have so far been attacked in the area. Some suffered slight damage but others were affected more seriously. One seafarer was killed in the attacks and others were injured.
