A bulk carrier sailing under the Tanzanian flag and operated by an Azerbaijani crew has been struck by Russian drones near the Port of Odesa, with at least one person killed in the attack.
According to Ukrainian media outlets, Russian forces targeted two civilian vessels on 14 July, including the Azerbaijani-manned bulk carrier and another ship operating under the Liberian flag.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry later confirmed that the merchant vessel Atlas Bey, owned by a Turkish company, was attacked near the Odesa coastline. The ministry said 11 Azerbaijani nationals were among the crew and confirmed that all crew members except the captain who reportedly lost his life and was also an Azerbaijani citizen, were rescued.
The incident follows a series of attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea. In recent days, Russian forces have targeted several merchant vessels, including a Togolese-flagged cargo ship that was struck on 13 July while unloading mineral fertilisers at Odesa.
The attacks have heightened concerns over the safety of commercial shipping routes in the Black Sea, where merchant vessels continue to operate amid ongoing military tensions.
IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has warned that while global attention has been focused on escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, a renewed wave of attacks targeting international shipping has emerged in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov regions and urged all parties involved in conflicts to refrain from actions that endanger merchant vessels, seafarers and the marine environment.