KEY POINTS
  • Russian forces are shutting off shipping routes, logistics firms are suspending services, and air freight and tanker rates are skyrocketing, supply chain firms said.
  • "Parts of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov are now dangerous or unpassable. There have been missile attacks on vessels ... and lane closures for commercial shipping," said Christian Roeloffs, CEO of container marketplace Container xChange.
  • Limited air capacity presents a double whammy for shippers. With airspace over Ukraine shut and airlines avoiding Russian airspace, air freight rates are spiking.
A patrol boat at Ukraine's Black Sea port of Mariupol on Feb. 11, 2022.

The Russia-Ukraine war is severely disrupting shipping and air freight. Russian forces are cutting off shipping routes, logistics firms are suspending services and air freight rates are skyrocketing, supply chain firms said.

Russian naval forces have closed shipping in and out of the Sea of Azov — one of the few access points to ocean trade in Ukraine, said Dylan Alperin, head of professional services at supply chain software platform Keelvar.