After the Russian invasion, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd resumed their services at Ukraine's key Black Sea ports. Hapag-Lloyd initiated a sea shuttle service between Constanta and Chernomorsk, while Maersk, in collaboration with Iteris, launched Ukraine's first deep-sea container service.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping is planning to restart feeder service offerings to the port of Odesa, with the first call scheduled for mid-June this year. Hapag-Lloyd has reportedly launched a new sea shuttle service between Ukraine and Romania, connecting the Fishport terminal in Chernomorsk with the DP World terminal in Constanta. This service will commence on May 27, with departures every five days.

The unique shuttle service is designed to provide significant benefits, including schedule flexibility, the availability of reefer plugs, particularly for refrigerated cargo, and the avoidance of highly congested inland channels. It also eliminates road weight limitations, allows smoother cargo planning, and reduces local formalities and costs at the port of Constanta. A few days earlier, Maersk announced the return of its deep-sea container service to Ukraine since the invasion. In collaboration with Ukraine's feeder operator Iteris, Maersk is using a vessel with a more than 1,100 TEU capacity to link the port of Chornomorsk with Constanta. This service marks a significant milestone, helping to restore a crucial trade link that had been disrupted.

According to Daniil Melnychenko of Informal BG, an Odessa-based consultancy, the service is expected to double in volume in the coming months as more shipping lines participate and additional vessels are added. This could facilitate direct shipping from Turkey and Egypt to Ukraine, bypassing Romania.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping also plans to resume feeder services at the port of Odesa in June of this year. The service will operate between the ports of Tekirdag and Odesa, with the first call scheduled for mid-June. MSC will become the first international container line to re-establish its services to Odesa since the onset of the full-scale invasion.

Before the war, MSC operated two feeder services to Odesa, significantly contributing to the Ukrainian seaport's container traffic. The Turkish shipping firm Akkon has initiated feeder services to Chornomorsk with the help of its vessels. Akkon, which has operated services to the port of Izmail since the start of the war, is likely to leverage its established presence to transfer large volumes to larger vessels with improved scheduling.