• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Economic, maritime and ecological implications of military activities in the Black Sea

Ukraine invasion worsens shipping safety

While the violation of international laws such as the chemical weapon convention, international humanitarian laws, and the killings of prisoner of war (POW) continues to dominate the headline in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, little attention has been given to the naval mines discovered by the Turkish government in the Black Sea.

The Black Sea, which is a major shipping route to transmit goods globally, is geographically connected through oceans by the Mediterranean Sea through Istanbul, Sea of Azov, and Gibraltar Straits, and it is bordered by Ukraine to the North, Georgia to the East, Turkey to the South, Russia to the North – East and Bulgaria and Romania to the West.

Aside the Black Sea being important for global trade and sustaining the United Nation’s agenda on food sufficiency, it is also strategic for states to maintain political control prompting part of the reason for Russia to importantly target Odessa and Mauripol cities of Ukraine, which are closer to the Black Sea, and further invade in 2008 the disputed Georgian territory of Abkhazia, which is closer to the eastern coast of the Black Sea.

These land-mines, discovered by the Turkish government in its border in the Black Sea, exposes ships to wreckage and seafarers, sailors and crew members and fishermen to death and by implication can lead to global shortage of supply of goods, which will lead to sky-rocket inflation and astronomical increase in the price of commodities.

Read also: Nigeria ‘ll gain additional maritime territory without war -Buhari

In the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine where the launching of cruise missiles by the Russian military through the Black Sea directly to Lviv in Ukraine has had a devastating environmental effect, leading to ecological disasters on the surroundings of those areas as constant missile testing in the sea hampers marine wildlife and safe marine environment. This is due to the impact of high decibel volume from missile testing, which badly affects fish species, whales, porcupines and dolphins in the sea.

Ukraine and Russia have continued to exchange words over the planted mines in the Black Sea, both countries accusing each other of planting the mines as a means of trapping to annihilate their counterparts military ship. All these bring to the fore the need to review the legality given to military activities in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) as the International Law of the sea does not recognise these measures in the protection of terminal navigation straits.

Olajide is of the Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile – Ife, Osun State