Underwater drones from Russia may become one of nearest challenges for Ukrainian maritime corridor – RISOIL Group executive

One of the challenges for the operation of the Ukrainian maritime corridor may be Russia's use of underwater drones, which it has adopted, but the mechanism for finding alternative transportation routes has already been worked out during the war years, believes Valeriy Shnurenko, head of corporate security for RISOIL Group and chairman of the EBA Odesa corporate security working group.

"I don't really want to scare anyone, but the enemy has adopted analogues of our underwater drones, and according to the American Chamber of Commerce's assessments, will use them to stop the maritime corridor," Shnurenko said during a speech at FREIGHT FORWARDERS UPDATES 2026, held in Odesa.

According to him, this could indeed lead to suspension of the maritime corridor's operation, but whether there will be a complete closure depends on the military.

"Each of us believes that they do their job professionally and will not allow this," the RISOIL Group executive noted.

In a comment to Interfax-Ukraine on the sidelines of the event, Shnurenko noted that in case of the corridor's closure, there will be a search for alternative routes, and this is a mechanism sufficiently worked out during wartime.

"In case of the corridor's closure, we will look for alternative logistics routes: by road and rail through land routes to Europe... This is a well-established mechanism. There is also the possibility of returning to Danube ports, where we have already worked. Alternative routes exist in any case. But the Ukrainian maritime corridor is an artery that is beneficial to both the European Union and other countries," Shnurenko said.

He explained that rail transportation is accompanied by problems including a shortage of railcars, while road transportation faces shortages of drivers due to mobilization and vehicles that meet EU requirements.

Shnurenko also noted that the issue is the volume of cargo that can be transported by sea.

"The question is not even whether alternative routes are more expensive, the question is volumes. If a Panamax vessel carries 60,000 tonnes, transporting such cargo by rail is much more difficult," he said.

The head of corporate security added that in any case, routes are chosen by the company's clients, whose cargo comprises approximately 90% of the total volume handled by RISOIL Group (another 10% is the company's own cargo).

Describing other challenges that companies face in transportation, he focused particularly on the large number of air raid alerts in port zones and the need to strengthen protection of facilities, noting that energy problems are less of a concern.