Ukrainian Court Seizes Seven Berths in Chornomorsk Port Amid Scandal Over Privatization of State Maritime Assets

The Commercial Court of Odesa Region has seized seven berths belonging to the state-owned Chornomorsk Fishing Port(Chornomorskyi Rybnyi Port), following a motion filed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Prosecutor's Office. The decision, issued on March 22, aims to prevent the illegal alienation of critical infrastructure during the ongoing liquidation of the enterprise.

The seized berths — №1–6 and №4 (formerly №7–10 before reconstruction) — are part of the hydro-technical infrastructure of the Sukhyi Lyman estuary in Chornomorsk, Odesa Region. These berths and their adjoining operational waters are state-owned and strategically important for maritime trade and port fee collection.

Investigators revealed that in February 2019, officials from Chornomorskyi Rybnyi Port LLC (CRP), which has leased the port since 1997, colluded with employees of the Municipal Registration Agency to illegally register private ownership of the port’s operational aquatory. The fraudulent change in the State Register of Property Rights was based on falsified technical documents reportedly produced by Prom-Stroy Ltd.

The State Property Fund of Ukraine, which legally owns the assets, had never authorized any transfer of ownership. Prosecutors emphasize that berths and aquatories are indivisible as functional infrastructure — and must remain under unified state control.

The port had leased some of its key berths to PJSC "Antarctica", a private company with offshore ties. PJSC "Antarctica" is reportedly controlled by Ukrainian businessman Yuriy Kipperman, a long-time associate of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.

In February 2025, the berths were officially designated as physical evidence in an ongoing criminal investigation. Prosecutors then requested their judicial arrest to block any further attempts at privatization or registration transfers.

Although CRP’s legal team argued that the investigation concerns only the aquatory — not the berths — and that restricting operations could impact international contracts, the court rejected this position. The judge emphasized that the arrest does not restrict use for shipping, but prohibits any actions related to sale, lease, or transfer of the infrastructure.