Istanbul, December 13 (EFECOM). – The recent airstrike on a merchant ship in the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk in Ukraine caused only material damage, no injuries were reported, a spokesman for the company that owns the ship, Cenk Ro-Ro, confirmed to EFE this Saturday.
“In the attack on our ship in Chornomorsk, only material damage was caused, there are no injuries, both the crew and drivers were evacuated and are in hotels in the area,” the Istanbul-based company’s spokesman said in a telephone conversation with EFE.
The Ukrainian government reported yesterday, Friday, that Russia had attacked a “civilian ship” with a missile in the port of Chornomorsk, about 20 kilometers south of Odessa, without disclosing further details.
As the Turkish company confirmed, the ship in question was the Cenk-T, a ro-ro ship, i.e. a truck transporter for international trade, which regularly traveled between the Turkish port of Karasu and Chornomorsk in Ukraine.
According to nautical records, the 184 meter long Cenk-T, built in 1978, sails under the Panamanian flag.
The attack, which caused a fire in the bow, occurred at 4:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. GMT) on Friday, while the 127 onboard trucks carrying fresh fruits and vegetables and textiles were being unloaded, said a statement from Cenk Ro-Ro reproduced by the Turkish press.
After this incident, Cenk Ro-Ro will no longer be able to maintain its regular connection line between Turkish and Ukrainian ports, the company spokesman told EFE.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also confirmed in a statement the attack on “a ship owned by a Turkish company and under a foreign flag” without causing any harm to Turkish citizens.
The note underlines Ankara’s “concern” about the expansion of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict into the Black Sea, which endangers “maritime safety and freedom of navigation.”
“We remember the need for an agreement to suspend attacks on ports and energy facilities,” Foreign Affairs said in the statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to cut off sea routes to Ukrainian ports after Ukraine attacked two ships in the so-called ghost fleet, which Russia uses to evade international sanctions on its crude oil exports, in the Black Sea in late November.
These attacks, carried out with naval drones, did not cause any injuries, but one of the two ships, the Kairos, was put out of action by the arson. EFECOM
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