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A Turkish-owned roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) cargo ship carrying fresh fruit and vegetables from Türkiye to Russia was reportedly struck by drones near Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, injuring four crew members, including three Turkish nationals.
The Cameroon-flagged Nadezhda was attacked at about 4:30 p.m. Türkiye time while sailing from Samsun to Novorossiysk, Turkish Ihlas News Agency (IHA) reported. The vessel was about 30 nautical miles from Novorossiysk when the attack occurred.
The vessel was identified as the Nadezhda, reportedly owned by Samsun-based Kalyoncu Shipping and operated with a Turkish crew. Maritime databases also link the vessel to the Samsun-based company.
A fire broke out aboard the ship following the attack. Crew members responded to the blaze, according to the report.
The ship’s captain, Yalcin Sahin, alleged that Ukraine carried out the attack and said six or seven drones were used.
Sahin said everyone aboard was alive but that there were injuries. A personnel count was reportedly conducted after the attack, with all crew members accounted for and no one reported missing.
Four crew members were injured, including three Turkish nationals, according to IHA. The report did not provide details about the severity of their injuries.
The presence of drones in the area reportedly made it difficult for Russian naval vessels to approach the Nadezhda and provide assistanc.
Footage circulating on social media also appeared to show a Russian patrol boat alongside or approaching the vessel following the incident.
The claim that a Ukrainian drone carried out the strike could not be independently verified.
MarineTraffic identifies the Nadezhda, International Maritime Organization (IMO) number 7702657, as a Cameroon-flagged ro-ro cargo ship.
The vessel has an overall length of 118.73 meters (389.5 feet) and a width of 18.83 meters.
There was no immediate independently verifiable statement from the vessel's operator or Ukrainian and Russian authorities confirming the details of the reported strike.
The reported attack would be the latest in a series of incidents involving Turkish-owned or Turkish-operated commercial vessels in the Black Sea since the Russia-Ukraine war began.
Ukraine has targeted Russian-flagged vessels in the Black Sea throughout the nearly four-and-a-half-year war and has accused Russia of using the waterway to transport sanctioned goods, including oil.
Russia has separately launched multiple strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure and vessels approaching Ukrainian ports since the war began, attacks Kyiv has described as war crimes.
Türkiye has repeatedly warned that attacks on commercial shipping are expanding the risks of the war beyond the immediate conflict zone, while Turkish-owned and Turkish-crewed vessels continue to operate in contested Black Sea routes.
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