Russia has introduced a temporary ban on vessel movements in and out of the port of Novorossiysk between midnight and 05:00 because of Ukrainian drone attacks, three grain industry sources said on Wednesday.
The sources said the order was verbal and that no official document had been sent to shippers. They said the port was functioning as usual outside the restricted night-time hours, and grain shipments had not been affected.
The Transport Ministry and the port's administration did not respond to a request for comment.
Novorossiysk is Russia's biggest port by volume and handles up to one third of Russia's grain exports. The ban follows traffic restrictions introduced earlier this month in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.
Novorossiysk also ships oil, metals and goods in containers. A government order published on July 21 banned vessels from anchoring in areas without air defences at the port of Azov in the Sea of Azov and the port of Kavkaz in the Kerch Strait.
Novorossiysk is seen as a likely destination for grain destined for export, which is being diverted from the Sea of Azov. Euronext September wheat futures rose by 4.5 per cent on the news about the night-time closure.
(Reporting by Reuters Editing by David Goodman)
