Black Sea Shipping Company

The origins of the Black Sea Shipping Company can be traced back to 16 May 1833, when the Black Sea Society of Steamships (ROPiT) was founded to facilitate regular communication between Odessa and Istanbul. However, the company ceased operations following the Crimean War of the 1850s.

The company was re-established on 13 June 1922 as Black Sea - Azov Sea Shipping by the Council of Labour and Defence, operating under the People's Commissariat of Communication Routes and managed by the Central Administration of State Merchant Fleet (Gostorgflot). After World War II, it was divided into the Black Sea Shipping Company, Azov Sea Shipping Company, and Georgian Shipping Company. A further division occurred in 1964, creating the Novorossiysk Shipping Company from the tanker division of the Black Sea Shipping Company.

In 1990, the Black Sea Shipping Company was recognized as the largest shipping company in Europe and the second largest globally. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the company transitioned from the Ministry of Sea Fleet of the Soviet Union to a state company of Ukraine and was later registered with the State Property Fund of Ukraine.

The Black Sea Shipping Company has had a series of leaders since its inception, starting with F. I. Matveyev from 1928 to 1931. Other notable leaders include Boris Matveyevich Zanko (1931-1934), Aleksey Yevgeniyevich Danchenko (1956-1972), and Viktor Vasiliyevich Pilipyenko (1986-1992). The most recent leader, as of 2021, is Smetanin Volodymyr.

During its peak in the 1980s, the Black Sea Shipping Company operated over 250 sea-going vessels, making it the largest shipping company globally at that time. The company managed numerous ports across Ukraine, including Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne, which were vital for maritime trade.

The company also operated river ports such as Mykolaiv and Kherson, as well as several Crimean ports. While Sevastopol was not part of the Black Sea Shipping Company, it served as a naval port for the Soviet Union.

The Black Sea Shipping Company was integral to Ukraine's maritime infrastructure and economic activities. It facilitated significant foreign trade and international aid initiatives during the Soviet era. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the company faced challenges and underwent restructuring, leading to a decline in its prominence.

In 1993, President Leonid Kravchuk issued a decree to create the state conglomeration 'Blasko' based on the Black Sea Shipping Company, although this decree was later canceled in January 1995. In 2013, Kravchuk acknowledged his responsibility for decisions that contributed to the company's decline.