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A Russian drone strike damaged a Turkish-owned cargo vessel sailing from Ukraine's Odesa region to Türkiye overnight, injuring two crew members and triggering a fire on board, Ukrainian authorities reported Friday.
According to a Facebook post by the Ukrainian Navy, the vessel, identified as the ANT and sailing under the flag of Vanuatu, was carrying cargo from one of Odesa Oblast's ports when it came under attack during the night of May 28-29.
The strike hit the vessel's superstructure, causing a fire to break out. The fire was quickly contained, and two injured crew members were evacuated by Ukrainian Navy boats and taken to a medical facility, according to the statement.
"The Russian Federation continues to deliberately threaten international maritime shipping by attacking civilian infrastructure and commercial vessels," the Ukrainian Navy said.
The ANT is a general cargo vessel nearly 100 meters (328 feet) long with a deadweight capacity of about 5,095 tons and has operated on Black Sea and Mediterranean trade routes in recent years, according to MarineTraffic data.
The latest incident comes amid continued concerns over the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on commercial shipping routes and grain exports in the Black Sea.
Strikes around Ukraine's Odesa ports have often been viewed as attempts to disrupt the country's food and grain exports, a key part of global agricultural supply chains.
On Thursday, three tankers were hit by drones near Türkiye's northern coast. Neither Russia nor Ukraine immediately claimed responsibility.
Earlier this year, the Turkish-owned crude oil tanker Altura was struck by drones and unmanned surface vessels near Istanbul, adding to concerns over the security of merchant shipping in the region.
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