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A Turkish-owned ferry was hit by a missile strike while docked at Ukraine's Odessa port on Friday, the latest attack on commercial shipping in the Black Sea as the region's maritime security crisis intensifies.
The CENK T, a Panama-flagged passenger and cargo vessel owned by Türkiye-based Cenk Ro-Ro, was struck by what the company identified as an Iskander missile while berthed at the port facility. The vessel operates regular routes between Türkiye and Ukraine, transporting both passengers and freight across the Black Sea.
Preliminary confirmed the ship was at the port when the strike occurred. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, though initial reports did not specify casualties or the extent of damage to the ferry.
The strike comes as Türkiye, Bulgaria and Romania establish emergency coordination mechanisms to protect Black Sea shipping after a wave of attacks on commercial vessels in recent weeks.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had warned on Dec. 3 that the attacks are transforming the waterway into a closed zone for trade and human transportation. Speaking to journalists following a NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels, Fidan said recent strikes validate Ankara's warnings about the Russia-Ukraine war spreading beyond the immediate conflict zone.
"The attacks on these two ships sailing in Türkiye's exclusive economic zone not only endanger navigation safety in the Black Sea, but also turn the Black Sea into an area closed to trade and human transportation," Fidan said.
The three nations have formed a working group with naval forces beginning coordination to protect shipping routes, energy pipelines, exploration operations and fishing activities. The group will also address naval mines drifting from the war zone toward coastlines.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Dec. 2 that Moscow would intensify strikes on Ukrainian ports and may consider targeting vessels from countries supporting Ukraine if attacks on Russian tankers continue.
"What the Ukrainian armed forces are doing now is piracy," Putin said, threatening expanded strikes against port facilities and ships calling at Ukrainian ports. He added that Russia could "cut Ukraine off from the sea" if attacks persist.
The warnings followed a surge of attacks on Russia-linked oil tankers, including strikes on at least four vessels in less than a week. Two empty tankers flying Gambian flags came under drone attack on November 28, with a Ukrainian security source telling international media that Ukrainian forces deployed naval drones against vessels allegedly transporting Russian oil in violation of Western sanctions.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the escalating attacks a "worrying escalation" in comments on Dec. 1, saying Ankara "cannot under any circumstances accept these attacks" and is issuing warnings to all parties involved.
Türkiye controls the Bosphorus Strait, the critical passage connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, making maritime security in the region vital for both Ukrainian grain exports and Russian oil shipments.
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