Russian grain exports disrupted after Novorossiysk terminals attack

A major Russian grain export terminal in Novorossiysk has halted operations following significant damage from an overnight attack on Aug. 12, the terminal's owner said, further straining Russia's southern export corridor.

The Novorossiysk Bakery Products Plant terminal (NKHP) suspended operations following the attack, owner OZK Group said.

The terminal exported 6.23 million metric tons of grain in the 2025-2026 marketing year (July-June).

Russian traders said a second facility, the Novorossiysk Grain Terminal (NZT), with an export capacity of 8.5 million mt/year, was also damaged overnight. NZT is owned by Demetra Holding.

Demetra Holding did not respond to a Platts request for confirmation.

Amid escalated Russia-Ukraine attacks over the past month, shipowners have become increasingly reluctant to call at Russian ports, traders said, with the damage to both terminals adding to fears.

This comes following earlier strikes along the Rostov-Azov Sea route and the Kerch Strait, affecting the ports of Taman and Kavkaz. Grain flows have been redirected toward deep-sea ports, such as Tuapse port and KSK, another major Novorossiysk export terminal that handles 10.85 million mt of grain, which continue to operate, but only slowly.

"This means that Russian South is almost fully blocked," a Russian wheat seller said. "The market needs to accept and deal with that."

Even where fixtures have been agreed, there is no guarantee vessels will arrive for loading.

"The price doesn't matter; only available vessels," a second Russian seller said, reflecting how tonnage scarcity has become the dominant concern for exporters.

Prices soften as damage threatens flows

The attacks come as Black Sea wheat prices fell amid execution risk. Platts wheat benchmark, the Milling Wheat Marker, was assessed at $222/mt on Aug. 11, down 2.84% on day. Russian wheat was also down 2.84% from a month earlier.

Traders expect the infrastructure damage to further disrupt shipments, with delays likely and overall export volumes set to underperform.

A third Russian seller estimates August wheat exports at below 3 million mt, as the market looks for alternative corridors such as the Baltics, though these offer little cushion. Baltic logistics remain constrained by storage capacity and a continued heavy reliance on rail transport, which has only recently begun to ramp up.