Reports are coming from Ukraine of a Russian missile strike on the city of Odesa that damaged port infrastructure and a vessel alongside loading. There are no reports of causalities in the port but four civilians were injured in the city.
The governor for the region, Oleh Kiper, posted a message on Telegram after earlier warning the citizens of a possible air assault. Russia has increased its attacks on Ukrainian cities but some reports said it was a month since the port infrastructure had been hit. Without providing details on the damage, Kiper reported they had found debris from an Iskander-M missile along with the damage in the port and civilian buildings. He warned citizens to heed the air raid alerts.
Cargo ships continue to use the ports in the Greater Odesa region as part of Ukraine’s corridor for shipping. Kiper only identified the damaged vessel as being registered in Antigua. Reuters is citing sources saying the vessel is the Golden Lion which it says was loading metal products.
Tracking data shows the vessel which is 6,315 dwt arrived this morning in Odesa coming from Varna, Bulgaria. Databases show the ship is owned and managed from Lithuania.
Ukraine’s Agrarian Policy Ministry last month said in the first year of operation of the shipping corridor, Odesa had been systematically targeted by Russia. They asserted that the Russian attacks have caused losses of $1.5 billion in destroyed equipment and products stored in Odesa for shipment. They reported that in addition to grain storage, the attacks have also hit the tanks for sunflower oil.
Shipping continues despite the damage today and a missile strike on another bulker last week after it departed a Ukrainian port. The shipping corridor is marking its first anniversary and officials said more than 2,500 vessels have departed Ukraine’s ports in the past year. They carried more than 46 million tons of agricultural exports and an additional 23 million tons of metal and mining exports.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday, September 19, vowed to further expand Ukraine’s export capabilities. He said Ukraine was meeting the critical food needs for many countries and would continue its exports.
Reference : https://maritime-executive.com/article/russian-missile-damages-odesa-port-and-docked-bulker