Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged a strong protest against China after reports revealed that a Chinese-owned containership has been making repeated calls to Russian-occupied Crimea. Kyiv described the activity as a “brazen violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty”, urging Beijing to take immediate corrective action.

The vessel in question, the Heng Yang 9, reportedly made at least three voyages to Sevastopol in recent months. Built in 2012, the 10,500 dwt ship was transferred from Chinese to Panamanian registry in 2024 and is owned by Guangxi Changhai Shipping. Investigators allege the ship falsified its AIS tracking signals in the Black Sea to conceal its presence in Crimean waters.

Satellite imagery from early September confirmed discrepancies, showing the ship absent from its reported positions in Novorossiysk and Port Kavkaz but visible in Sevastopol. Reports suggest the vessel may be transporting exports from occupied Donetsk and Kherson, using new railway connections designed to link Russian-controlled regions to Crimea.

Ukraine has formally notified the International Maritime Organization, stressing that international sanctions imposed since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea prohibit commercial shipping to its ports. Kyiv has already seized and sold smaller ships accused of facilitating grain exports from the peninsula.

China, while not recognizing Western sanctions, has previously advised its companies to avoid transactions with Crimea. The Ukrainian government, however, insists that the Heng Yang 9 case demonstrates deliberate misconduct that undermines international law and maritime order.