Dry CargoEurope

Turkish-flagged ship hits mine in Black Sea

A small Turkish-flagged general cargo ship struck a mine yesterday in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania near the entrance to the Sulina Canal. The 31-year-old, 3,134 dwt Kafkametler sustained minor damage but the crew was safe. The ship was able to resume sailing after three hours. 

Security consultants Ambrey said the incident occurred on the same day that the company “informed its clients of a likely additional sea mine deployment by the Russian navy conducted to frustrate Ukraine’s grain exports.”

Intelligence issued on Wednesday from London warned of the threat of Russia laying mines to deter the fledging trade lane Ukraine has created along its coastline. 

“Russia almost certainly wants to avoid openly sinking civilian ships, instead falsely laying blame on Ukraine for any attacks against civilian vessels in the Black Sea,” the UK Foreign Office said in a statement.

In the middle of July Russia pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a United Nations-brokered shipping pact, after which Kyiv has worked to establish an alternate route to manage its exports while also targeting Russian naval infrastructure to keep the new maritime corridor away from attack. 

Greece this week proposed to use its ports in the Aegean Sea as a corridor for the export of Ukrainian grain, joining Lithuania and Croatia in offering their ports to help Ukraine with agricultural exports.

Sam Chambers

Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.

Comments

  1. You’d think that laying mines in international waters breach all sorts of international maritime laws!

    1. It does, same as dumping any waste in our oceans but it’s catching those responsible in the act of laying them!

    2. I hope that the world will remember what Russia is like and how they treat their fellow human beings when eventually hostilities stop.
      They should never be allowed into the the western world of business and trade again, Ever. We Don’t not need a Pariah State or Presidential Psychopaths sitting at the same table as true democracy leaders. Russia should be expelled from the U.N. definitively, they have no place their.

    3. It probably breaches loads of laws but as Russia invaded Ukraine Russia seems to think international laws don’t apply to Russia

    4. Yes , it does , but Russia defies all normal behavior, is acting like the rogue state it has become under Spewtin !!

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