The Joint War Committee (JWC) has issued JWLA-035, significantly expanding the war-risk Listed Area for the Black Sea.

The key change is straightforward but consequential: instead of defining the Black Sea risk zone through a series of coordinates, JWLA-035 now lists the:

“Black Sea excluding territorial waters of adjoining countries other than Russia and Ukraine.”

In practical terms, this brings almost the entire Black Sea into the London marine insurance market’s war-risk notification framework, while excluding the territorial waters of Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia. Russian and Ukrainian territorial waters remain included, while the Sea of Azov continues to be separately listed.

The revision comes as attacks on merchant vessels, ports and maritime infrastructure intensify across both Ukrainian and Russian areas of the Black Sea.

For shipowners, being within a JWC Listed Area does not mean navigation is prohibited. But it can trigger prior notification requirements, additional war-risk premiums, tighter underwriting conditions and, in some cases, difficulty obtaining cover altogether.

Recent Black Sea war-risk quotations have become highly volatile, with pricing varying sharply depending on the vessel, port, ownership, trading history and voyage profile.

The broader message from JWLA-035 is clear: the insurance market is no longer viewing Black Sea war risk as confined to a limited number of ports or coastal zones. The risk perimeter has expanded across the basin.

For shipowners and charterers, insurance availability and pricing are increasingly becoming as important as physical navigability in determining whether a Black Sea voyage remains commercially viable.