A Chinese container vessel has been documented visiting the Russian-occupied port of Sevastopol at least three times over the past month, raising questions about sanctions compliance and maritime oversight.
According to Financial Times on September 23, the ship Heng Yang 9, sailing under a Panamanian flag and operated by Guangxi Changhai Shipping Company, entered Sevastopol multiple times in June, August, and September.
Western sanctions have prohibited commercial use of the Crimean port since Russia’s annexation of the peninsula in 2014.
Financial Times reported that the ship’s movements were confirmed through a combination of optical satellite imagery, radar data, transponder signals, and ground photography.
Analysts found that Heng Yang 9 attempted to obscure its route in September by transmitting false coordinates through its transponder system.
Despite those efforts, satellite imagery captured the vessel in Sevastopol on September 14, with further confirmation that the same container load later passed through the Bosphorus on September 17.
Ukrainian officials told Financial Times that the ship had earlier docked in Sevastopol from June 19 to June 22, marking its first known stop at the Crimean port. Records also show the vessel requested authorization to load 101 containers on August 15.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s presidential envoy for sanctions policy, told Financial Times: “Ukraine has made it clear that such actions are unacceptable and expects all international partners and companies to strictly avoid contact with occupied territories.”
He added that Ukraine’s embassy in Beijing raised the matter with China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the June port call.
According to Vlasiuk, Chinese authorities responded that citizens and companies are advised to avoid activities in occupied Ukrainian regions, while each case would be reviewed individually.
The company operating Heng Yang 9, registered with the International Maritime Organization as the owner of two container vessels and two bulk carriers, declined to comment when contacted by Financial Times.
Ukrainian officials believe these routes are being used to export goods from occupied areas of Donetsk and Kherson.
Meanwhile, maritime observers, including independent activists, documented attempts to conceal the ship’s identity during its Sevastopol visits. In one instance, photographs showed Heng Yang 9 with its name covered by white cloth on the stern.
Earlier, Reuters reported that a second Russian LNG tanker from the sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project had arrived in China, with the vessel anchoring near the Tieshan terminal in Guangxi. The shipment, part of Russia’s shadow fleet, follows a previous delivery to the Beihai terminal in August.
