Russian strike hits port infrastructure in Odesa Oblast, sparking fire

The strike sparked a fire at the impact site, causing significant damage.

Clean-up operations are still ongoing.

Several Russian drones attacked the German bulk carrier Emil in the Black Sea roughly 39 kilometers off Odesa on August 6, DW reported, citing internal sources.

The strikes disabled the vessel's navigation systems and knocked out its steering, sparking a fire onboard. A second drone hit the ship during the crew's evacuation.

The attack also damaged the Mera Queen, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged bulk carrier transporting grain.

Russia launched 35 attacks on ships in ports, 22 on vessels at sea, and 67 on port infrastructure in July, according to Ukrainian Agrarian Policy Minister Taras Vysotsky. The onslaught prompted shipowners to suspend calls to ports near Odesa, halting all incoming vessel traffic for nearly two weeks at the peak of the summer harvest.

Vessel calls to Ukrainian seaports were temporarily suspended on July 22 due to the deteriorating security situation, Agrarian Policy Minister Taras Vysotsky announced. The same day, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha stated that Ukraine had called an urgent UN Security Council meeting over the halted traffic through the Black Sea maritime corridor.