Seatrade-Maritime: Golden Leo sinks after deadly Russian missile strike

Published by Seatrade-Maritime

Golden Leo, a general cargo vessel attacked by missiles on 19 July, sank in the Black Sea over the weekend, according to Ukrainian authorities, which blamed Russia for the attack.

The 7,300 dwt ship had recently departed Chornomorsk with a cargo of corn when it was struck by multiple missiles off Odesa, killing 10 seafarers including a Ukrainian pilot and members of the Indian and Syrian crew. Eight survivors were rescued from the incident.

Ukraine and Russia continue to pressure logistics in the Black Sea with strikes on ships and ports. The Kerch Strait connecting the Sea of Azov and Black Sea remains effectively closed to commercial traffic since Russia stopped accepting applications for commercial vessels to pass on 10 July.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on 27 July that its attack drones hit two dry cargo ships while they were unloading cargo at the Port of Mykolaiv. Local authorities said that three vessels were hit and a man was killed in the attacks.

On 26 July, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it had hit two bulk carriers in the Dnieper-Bug estuary it accused of delivering military cargo, as well as a container terminal at the Port of Chernomorsk. Security company Ambrey said there were no reports of casualties or vessel damage from the port strike.

Oleh Kiper, governor of Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast, reported on 25 July that a Palau-flagged ship carrying corn was hit by drones twice, damaging the upper deck and superstructure, and leading to a fire affecting the bridge and accommodation block. Media reports identified the vessel as 1196-built, 3,400 dwt AGN Ragnar.

The crew and pilot were evacuated to shore by the Ukrainian Navy, said Kiper. Ambrey reported that two crew members initially reported missing were rescued with minor injuries and had jumped into the water to escape the fire onboard.

The Romanian Coast Guard attended the scene for firefighting and cooling operations on the vessel, which remained at Sulina anchorage.

The last update on Ukraine’s campaign against ships supplying Russian-occupied Crimea was on 22 July, when it reported that 196 vessels were hit between 6 and 22 July — 126 in the Sea of Azov and 70 in the Black Sea. Updates on the ship attack campaign were daily earlier in July but have been absent, although drone forces continue to publish updates on their attacks on Crimea’s power infrastructure.