An explosion occurred on a Greek-owned cargo ship flying the Panamanian flag in the Danube River area in the Black Sea, with 18 crew members on board, resulting in the slight injury of two Greek sailors.
According to Ukrainian sources, the ship was heading to the port of Izmail on the Danube to load grain and was at risk of sinking when it was hit yesterday morning (27/12) by a Russian mine.
For now, Ukrainian claims that the cause of the explosion on the cargo ship was a Russian mine have not been confirmed.
Information from the Greek Ministry of Shipping, however, reports that among the 18 crew members, the captain and the lieutenant, who are Greeks, suffered minor injuries.
The ship did not request assistance, and it was revealed that it had departed from a port in Romania and was heading to Ukraine.
The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reports that “a Panamanian-flagged political vessel heading to a Danube port to load grain was hit by a Russian naval mine in the Black Sea, according to Ukrainian southern defense forces. They added that a fire broke out on the vessel, and the vessel lost control. Two sailors were injured by the explosion of the mine. The Ukrainian maritime authorities sent tugs to tow the vessel away and bring it to port.”
