The end of globalized trade as we've known it

Amazing how fast it happened.  “The system simply shut down."

Russia sanctions redraw shipping routes, cleaving East from West | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera - March 29

By John Psaropoulos

Athens, Greece – Western sanctions punishing Russia for its invasion of Ukraine are reorganising global trade along political lines, defying geography and efficiency.

This new reality is creating a windfall for merchant shipping, but risks are creating higher prices for European consumers and hunger for Africa.

The disruption stems from the curbing of Black Sea trade. Ukraine’s ports have been blockaded by Russian sieges from land and sea, impeding shipping. Ukrainian officials told the Reuters news agency that about 100 foreign-flagged ships were trapped in ports on March 11.

“They were in the process of loading or unloading when the war began,” shipowner Yiorgos Gourdomichalis told Al Jazeera. “The system simply shut down. There were no customs officers and harbour masters to process the boats out.”

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[Plenty more in the report]

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