Chinese vessels have now begun docking in Crimea, breaking with a long-standing policy of avoiding ports considered disputed between Russia and Ukraine. Reports confirm that the Heng Yang 9, a 140-meter Panama-flagged container ship owned by China’s Guangxi Changhai Shipping Company, has docked at the port of Sevastopol three times since June, with its latest arrival occurring just last week.
According to Ukrainian media, the ship manipulated its Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder, broadcasting false coordinates to disguise its route to Crimea. While the Heng Yang 9’s signal claimed it was bound for Russia’s Port Kavkaz, satellite imagery confirmed its arrival in Sevastopol.
It remains unclear what cargo was offloaded, but the timing coincides with Russia’s completion of a new rail link earlier this year that connects Crimea to the Russian mainland via the occupied territories of Kherson, Zaporizhia, and Donetsk. This rail line strengthens Russia’s logistical integration of Crimea, allowing goods to be shipped directly into Sevastopol and then transported deeper into Russia.
The Heng Yang 9’s visits mark the first documented case of a Chinese-owned vessel docking at a Crimean port seized from Ukraine prior to 2014. Previously, Beijing had instructed its shipping companies to avoid such ports, reflecting its cautious neutrality on the Ukraine conflict.
However, the decision to now risk docking in Crimea may be tied to shifting global conditions. China’s deepening trade confrontation with Washington has altered Beijing’s calculations. With the U.S. heavily dependent on Chinese exports of critical rare earth minerals, China appears less concerned about Western sanctions and increasingly willing to take bold steps in support of Russia.
Earlier this year, Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service warned that Moscow planned to involve Chinese firms in the expansion of Crimean port facilities at Kerch. While no firm evidence of Chinese operations in Kerch has yet surfaced, the Heng Yang 9’s repeated voyages to Sevastopol suggest that China may be edging toward more active cooperation with Russia in Crimea.