The port authority said in a Facebook post two tugs were sent to rescue the crew and preliminary reports indicated none of the 29 crew members had been injured. The vessels arrive in the port on February 23 and had been waiting to load.
The 2018 built vessel is owned and managed by Bangladesh Shipping Corp. According to security analysts Dryad Global it is the fourth commercial vessel to be struck by missiles since the Russian invasion of the Ukraine, including the Yasa Jupiter on February 24, and Namura Queen and Millennial Spirit on February 25.
The Ukrainian government said that the Ukrainian-flagged bulk carrier Princess Nicole was approached by Russian warships and made an illogical and sharp change of course while headed to Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island.
The Ukrainian state border guard service also reported that a vessel, Athena, 22nm from Snake Island, reportedly sailing in Russian waters, had been commanded by approaching Russian to allow for inspection. The owner immediately informed the Ukrainian authorities.
UN-body has called an extraordinary session of its council address the impacts on shipping and seafarers of the situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
IMO said the virtual meeting on 10 and 11 March was being held the request of several council members.
Greece’s Shipping and Island Policy Minister, Ioannis Plakiotakis, revealed he personally contacted IMO Secretary general, Kitack Lim to discuss concerns about the safety of seafarers and vessels trapped in Ukraine.
Plakiotakis revealed the effort in a statement on his ministry's website, as reports started coming in that seafarers have been injured during attacks against vessels since Russia invaded Ukraine, on February 24. Since then, commercial ships about to load or unload cargo have become trapped in Ukrainian ports after military authorities shut down the terminals and stopped vessels from leaving.
France, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, is also leading the initiative in calling on IMO to take immediate measures to protect seafarers in the war-torn region. Besides Greece and France, other nations that have joined the call for an IMO meeting include Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Cyprus and Malta.
Plakiotakis noted that countries from outside the EU, such as Australia and the United States, are early supporters of the request.
Some 40 vessels are known to be trapped in the Ukraine with owners and crew facing harrowing times. For owners war insurance costs have soared and at least one seafarer has been killed and others injured in rocket attacks in the area.
