Despite ongoing Russian airstrikes, Ukraine plans to resume a ferry connection to Georgia across the Black Sea.
A ferry is set to sail from the Ukrainian port Chornomorsk to Batumi in Georgia on July 9, Ukrainian and Georgian media reported on Thursday, citing the ferry company's timetable.
The Panama-flagged ship will sail weekly, taking some 60 hours to cover the distance of more than 1,000 kilometres.
The vessel has space for 250 passengers and can also transport up to 49 railway wagons and 50 articulated lorries.
The link aims to increase trade with the three Caucasus republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, according to local media reports.
Ukraine is resuming the link despite the full-scale invasion by Russia, launched in February 2022.
When Moscow started the war, shipping traffic to Ukrainian harbours came to a standstill.
But Kiev's forces have managed to push the Russian Black Sea fleet out of the western Black Sea, freeing up the three Ukrainian Black Sea ports in the greater Odessa area for use by freighters.
The ships keep to a secure corridor designated by Kiev.
Russia attacks targets along the Ukrainian Black Sea coast with drones and missiles on an almost daily basis.
Cargo throughput in the first five months of 2024 reached almost 46 million tons, but this is still almost a fifth below the pre-war level.