Ukraine condemns Chinese vessel's entry into Crimea; embassy sends note to Chinese Foreign Ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns and considers as a gross violation of international law and the legislation of Ukraine the repeated entries of the container ship HENG YANG 9 (IMO: 1059979; flag: Panama) into the port of Sevastopol temporarily occupied by Russia.
"Particular indignation is caused by the fact that the vessel, which belongs to the Chinese company Guangxi Changhai, deliberately concealed its movements, transmitting false data about the route, which confirms the conscious nature of the violation," Spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Heorhiy Tykhy said in a statement.
The Foreign Ministry said these actions are yet another evidence of a brazen disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for the fundamental norms of international law, in particular Resolution 68/262 Territorial Integrity of Ukraine as well as the provisions of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which clearly establishes Ukraine's sovereignty over its territorial waters.
"Due to this incident, the Embassy of Ukraine in the PRC sent an official note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. Ukraine also informed the International Maritime Organization (IMO) about it," Tykhy said.
The Foreign Ministry calls on Beijing to take urgent measures to prevent similar incidents in the future and demands that it adheres to the declared policy of refraining Chinese companies from cooperating with the occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
"The Ukrainian side reserves the right to respond appropriately to all cases of violations of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, in particular by imposing sanctions against the individuals and legal entities involved," the minister said.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that a Chinese cargo vessel had entered the port of occupied Crimea for the first time. According to the publication, the Heng Yang 9, owned by the Chinese company Guangxi Changhai, had been spotted in the annexed Crimea at least three times in the past few months.