0295/23
Humanitarian maritime corridor and route for Black Sea grain shipments established
ActiveReceived 18 Mar 2023, 00:00 UTC
Warning text
Positions open on the mapBLACK SEA ADVISORY NUMBER : 0295/23
BLACK SEA
BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE
JOINT COORDINATION CENTRE (JCC) – ISTANBUL
FROM 182359Z MAR 23 UNTIL A FURTHER NOTICE
DATUM IS WGS84.
BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE JCC HAS ESTABLISHED A ROUTE FOR SHIPS ENTERING AND LEAVING UKRAINIAN PORTS. THE ROUTE IS 320 MILES LONG AND CONNECTS THE FOLLOWING UKRAINIAN PORTS WITH THE INSPECTION AREAS WITHIN TURKISH TERRITORIAL WATERS.
HUMANITARIAN MARITIME CORRIDOR (HMC) FORMS PART OF THIS ROUTE, EXTENDING FROM THE UKRAINIAN TERRITORIAL WATER LIMIT TO THE SOUTHERN ENDPOINT OF THE MARITIME TRANSIT CORRIDOR (MTC).
WHILE IN TRANSIT THROUGH THE HMC, NO WARSHIP, AIRCRAFT, OR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE SHALL COME CLOSER THAN 10 MILES TO ANY VESSEL ASSOCIATED WITH THE INITIATIVE AND PASSING THROUGH THE CORRIDOR. VESSELS SUBJECTED TO HARASSMENT OR THREATS DURING THEIR PASSAGE THROUGH THE HUMANITARIAN MARITIME CORRIDOR SHALL PROMPTLY REPORT THE SITUATION TO THE JOINT COORDINATION CENTRE. NO VESSEL SHALL TRANSIT THROUGH THE HUMANITARIAN MARITIME CORRIDOR WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE JOINT COORDINATION CENTRE.
PILOTS WILL BE EMBARKED BETWEEN THE MANEUVERING AREA FOR TRANSIT AND WAITING AREA.
FROM CHORNOMORSK TO WAITING AREA. CHANNEL WIDTH UP TO 200 METERS:
46 24.000 N - 030 54.000 E
46 20.500 N - 030 43.200 E
46 20.000 N - 030 42.700 E
46 18.842 N - 030 41.807 E
46 19.123 N - 030 40.596 E
FROM ODESA TO WAITING AREA. CHANNEL WIDTH UP TO 200 METERS:
46 30.000 N - 030 54.000 E
46 30.000 N - 030 46.400 E
46 29.902 N - 030 46.043 E
46 29.986 N - 030 44.542 E
FROM PIVDENNYI TO WAITING AREA. CHANNEL WIDTH UP TO 200 METERS:
46 30.500 N - 030 57.000 E
46 32.600 N - 030 57.000 E
46 33.342 N - 031 00.044 E
46 36.187 N - 031 01.000 E
WAITING AREA:
46 30.500 N - 030 54.000 E
46 30.500 N - 030 58.200 E
46 24.000 N - 030 58.200 E
46 24.000 N - 030 54.000 E
VESSELS ARE REQUIRED TO TRANSIT THROUGH THE FOLLOWING AREA BETWEEN THE WAITING AREA AND HMC:
46 24.000 N - 030 54.000 E
46 19.000 N - 031 05.000 E
46 12.000 N - 031 07.500 E
46 12.000 N - 031 12.500 E
46 27.000 N - 031 10.500 E
46 28.200 N - 030 58.200 E
THE HUMANITARIAN MARITIME CORRIDOR IS 83 MILES LONG AND 3 MILES WIDE. DURING TRANSIT THROUGH THE HUMANITARIAN MARITIME CORRIDOR, SHIPS ARE CONSIDERED AS RESTRICTED IN THEIR ABILITY TO MANEUVER AND MUST DISPLAY APPROPRIATE SHAPES AND LIGHTS. VESSELS MUST TRANSIT BETWEEN 0500-2100 LOCAL TIME.
MTC (CENTRAL LINE):
44 53.000 N - 030 39.500 E 45 MILES ALONG COURSE 008/188
45 37.100 N - 030 48.100 E 38 MILES ALONG COURSE 025/205
46 12.000 N - 031 10.000 E
SOUTHERN WAITING AREA (SWA) IS DESIGNATED AS A TEMPORARY WAITING AREA FOR VESSELS PARTICIPATING IN THE INITIATIVE. INCOMING VESSELS MAY USE THE SOUTHERN WAITING AREA TO AWAIT TRANSIT DURING PERMITTED HOURS BY INFORMING JCC VIA ISTANBUL TRAFFIC.
SWA:
44 50.000 N - 030 10.000 E
44 50.000 N - 030 25.000 E
44 55.000 N - 030 25.000 E
45 00.000 N - 030 10.000 E
VESSELS TRANSITING BETWEEN HMC AND TURKISH INSPECTION AREAS MUST PASS THROUGH POSITION:
42 19.150 N - 029 27.000 E
ISTANBUL TRAFFIC CONTROL STATION WILL INFORM VESSELS AND DIRECT THEM TO THE APPROPRIATE INSPECTION AREA.
TURKISH INSPECTION AREA NORTH (BLACK SEA)
41 14.900 N - 028 59.580 E
41 17.260 N - 028 59.580 E
41 17.260 N - 029 02.200 E
41 15.500 N - 029 04.600 E
41 15.200 N - 029 04.600 E
TURKISH INSPECTION AREAS SOUTH (SEA OF MARMARA)
41 00.360 N - 028 59.130 E
40 59.330 N - 028 58.570 E
40 58.090 N - 028 56.470 E
40 59.840 N - 028 56.470 E
40 58.480 N - 028 53.280 E
40 59.500 N - 028 56.280 E
40 58.060 N - 028 56.280 E
40 56.460 N - 028 53.280 E
PORT VISITS AND LONG-TERM WAITING WILL NOT BE PERMITTED DURING TRANSIT, EXCEPT FOR EMERGENCIES. SHIP-TO-SHIP TRANSFERS ARE NOT APPROVED.
AIS DEVICES OF VESSELS PARTICIPATING IN THE INITIATIVE MUST REMAIN ACTIVE AT ALL TIMES.
ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED FOR VESSELS WISHING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE INITIATIVE ARE AS SET OUT IN IMO CIRCULAR LETTER NO. 4611 (SERIES).
Location map
Open on the full mapAnalysis
ActiveA Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) route for ships entering and leaving Ukrainian ports under the Black Sea Grain Initiative has been established, including a Humanitarian Maritime Corridor (HMC), waiting and inspection areas. The route is in effect from 18 Mar 2023 2359Z until further notice. Transit rules include mandatory JCC approval, pilots embarked between manoeuvring and waiting areas, AIS always on, and vessels must transit 0500-2100 local time.
Do not transit the HMC without JCC approval; keep AIS active at all times; embark pilots as required; transit only 0500-2100 local time; report harassment or threats promptly to the Joint Coordination Centre via Istanbul Traffic; no port visits or long waits except emergencies; no ship-to-ship transfers.
- Type
- Restricted area · severity moderate
- Feed
- Security and restricted areasAll warnings of this kind on the map, or as an API feed.
- Location
- Black Sea - route connecting Ukrainian ports, waiting and Turkish inspection areas
- Validity
- From 18 Mar 2023, 23:59 UTC
FROM 182359Z MAR 23 UNTIL A FURTHER NOTICE - Activity periods
- ? - ? (Daily 0500-2100 local time (vessels must transit during these hours))
- Hazards
- restricted transit corridor, inspection and waiting areas, limited manoeuvrability of participating vessels, close-approach exclusion (no warship/aircraft/UAV within 10 miles)
- Keep clear
- 10 NMNO WARSHIP, AIRCRAFT, OR UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE SHALL COME CLOSER THAN 10 MILES TO ANY VESSEL ... PASSING THROUGH THE CORRIDOR.
- References
- IMO CIRCULAR LETTER NO. 4611 (SERIES)
Coast stations for this area
- RCCMRCC OdessaUkraine6 NM from the area
- RCCMRCC Constanta/Constanta Harbor MasterRomania126 NM from the area
- RCCMRCC VarnaBulgaria231 NM from the area
- DSCDSC Station OdessaMRCC OdessaUkraineMMSI 002723660VHF 23, MF 200range 200 NM6 NM from the area
- DSCDSC Station VTS OdessaMRCC OdessaUkraineMMSI 002723671VHF 24range 24 NM8 NM from the area
- DSCDSC Station VTS OchakivMRCC OdessaUkraineMMSI 002723665VHF 20range 20 NM30 NM from the area
- DSCDSC Station VTS Rus'ka BeakMRCC OdessaUkraineMMSI 002723666VHF 21range 21 NM48 NM from the area
- DSCDSC Station Constanta, Sfintu GheorgheMRCC Constanta/Constanta Harbor MasterRomaniaMMSI 002640570VHF 24range 24 NM106 NM from the area
Worked out automatically from the warning text on 31 Oct 2026, 06:19 UTC. It can be wrong: the official warning text is the authority.