HIT (COURTESY OF SAFETY FOR SEA)
A Russian strike hit a Togolese-flagged cargo vessel while it was unloading mineral fertilisers at the Port of Odesa on 13 July, killing five people and injuring 10 others, Ukrainian officials said.
According to Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper, the attack struck the vessel’s superstructure, triggering a fire. Among those killed were three foreign crew members, while two additional bodies were recovered by rescue teams as they worked to extinguish the blaze.
Furthermore, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities and Territories Development, Oleksii Kuleba, said the injured crew members were taken to hospital for treatment. Kuleba condemned the incident as “another Russian strike against civilian shipping and Ukraine’s port infrastructure,” warning that attacks on merchant vessels threaten international navigation, global trade and food security.
The strike comes amid escalating maritime activity linked to the war. Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces said they have targeted 105 vessels associated with Russia’s so-called shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov over the past eight days, including tankers, dry cargo ships, ferries and tugboats.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has renewed calls for an immediate halt to attacks on civilian merchant shipping. He warned that ongoing geopolitical conflicts are placing seafarers, maritime safety and global supply chains at increasing risk and has urged all parties to respect international law and protect those working at sea.