Two more ships hit in the Black Sea

Another two ships have been hit by missiles in the Black Sea: the Moldova-flagged chemical tanker Millennial Spirit and the Panama-flagged bulk carrier Namura Queen.

The 1974-built Millennial Spirit, formerly Freyja, was fired upon by a Russian Navy ship 12 nautical miles south of Ukraine’s Yuzhniy port, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported.

Rescue operations were carried out by the Ukrainian authorities. The crewmembers, all Russian, were rescued, but two of them are in serious condition, Moldova’s Naval Agency confirmed, adding that the source of the missile launch is unknown.

Meanwhile, the 2020-built panamax Namura Queen, owned by Japan’s Nissen Kaiun, was presumably hit by a rocket at the anchorage of the Yuzhny port, said Andrey Stavnitser, co-owner of TransInvestService terminal group and the P&O Maritime Ukraine tug company operating in the Yuzhniy port. No casualties were reported, but one person has been injured.

Yesterday, the Turkish-owned bulk carrier Yasa Jupiter was also hit by a missile off the coast of Odessa, sustaining slight damage and becoming the first confirmed merchant ship casualty of war following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Maritime security consultancy Dryad Global has advised all commercial operators to avoid any transit or operations within the exclusive economic zones of Ukraine or Russia in the Black Sea.

For all the news on how the invasion of Ukraine is affecting global shipping, check out Splash’s dedicated coverage here.