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A pilot died and three Filipino crew and a dockworker were injured following a Russian missile strike on a bulk carrier entering the Ukrainian port of Yuzhny yesterday.
According to security consultants Ambrey, a Soviet-style Kh-31P air-to-surface missile hit the 91,800 dwt Kmax Ruler, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier that was due to take a cargo of iron ore from Ukraine to China. Images from the scene show the bridge (pictured) and the superstructure (pictured below) badly damaged. The 2009-built ship is owned by Venus Mare from the Philippines.
“Continuing the terror of civilian shipping, the enemy insidiously fired an Kh-31P anti-radar missile in the direction of one of the ports of Odesa region from tactical aircraft in the Black Sea,” the Ukrainian army said.
Since Russia pulled out of the United Nations-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative in July, shipping has faced a far more precarious security situation in the region, with Ukraine and Russia both targeting enemy ports. Insurance premiums for ships calling Ukraine have rocketed in recent months, while the 21 months of war between the two East European neighbours have seen a number of merchant ships hit in the crossfire.
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Ambrey is advising vessels calling Ukraine to apply ballistic protection measures.
