Turkish ship damaged by a mine in the Black Sea
7:39 AM EDT, October 6, 2023
A Turkish merchant ship hit a mine in the Black Sea near the Romanian coast. As a result of the explosion, the crew members were not injured, the ship is slightly damaged - reports Reuters. This was the first incident in the Black Sea in several months.
The unit hit a mine on Thursday, about 11 nautical miles north of the Romanian Sulina, near the entrance to the Sulina channel - Reuters reported, citing the British company Ambrey, which deals with maritime security issues.
Problems on the Black Sea
Reuters Agency notes that this was the first incident related to a sea mine in the Black Sea for several months. Because of Russia's war against Ukraine, this body of water is considered a high-risk area, with sea mines being the main threat.
After Russia withdrew in July from an agreement allowing the transport of Ukrainian grain by ships through the Black Sea, Ukraine created an alternative "humanitarian corridor".
"Since August, several ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea" - reports Reuters.
On Thursday, the British government announced in a statement, citing intelligence data, that Russia may be deliberately placing mines in the approach to Ukrainian ports to hinder the export of Ukrainian agricultural production.
In relation to Russia blocking Ukrainian sea ports on the Black Sea, Kiev is increasingly using Danube ports, from which it then sends grain to the Romanian Constanța.
Seeking to prevent Ukrainians from using alternative routes, Russia has intensified attacks on Ukrainian port and grain infrastructure on the Danube, near the border with Romania. Parts of Russian drones used in the attacks have repeatedly fallen on the territory of this country, which is a member of the EU and NATO.
