Black Sea Shipping Company

Black Sea Shipping Company (Ukrainian: Чорноморське морське пароплавство) is a shipping company of Ukraine based in Odessa.

During the Soviet rule, the company held the title of world's largest shipping company for at least several years and was instrumental in important foreign trade and international aid initiatives of the Soviet government.

In February 2009 it was recognized bankrupt by the Higher Commercial Court of Ukraine (previously by the Commercial Court of Odessa Oblast and the Odessa Appellate Commercial Court).

On 11 January 2017, the State Property Fund of Ukraine decided to sell the company at auction.

The company was established on June 13, 1922 as Black Sea - Azov Sea Shipping by the Council of Labour and Defence as part of the People's Commissariat of Communication Routes and administrated by the Central Administration of State Merchant Fleet (Gostorgflot). The company however traces its history to May 16, 1833 when the Black Sea Society of Steamships (ROPiT) was established as means of permanent communications between Odessa and Istanbul, but the company disappeared after the Crimean War of the 1850s. The Black Sea - Azov Sea Shipping company splits into Black Sea Shipping Company, Azov Sea Shipping Company and Georgian Shipping Company after World War II. Another split took place in 1964 when a new company, Novorossiysk Shipping Company, was created from the tanker division of the Black Sea Shipping Company.

Azov Sea region management of Black Sea Shipping Company was created in Zhdanov in 1953. Azov Sea region management was reorganized in Azov Sea Shipping Company in 1967. It is why some ships of Black Sea Shipping Company ships were handed over changed to Azov Sea Shipping Company and home port was changed from Odessa to Zhdanov. So, two sister ships Nezhin and Smela were transferred to Azov Sea Shipping Company in 1969 or in 1967.

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