German-owned freighter comes under drone attack in Black Sea

A cargo vessel owned by a German company came under a drone attack in the Black Sea near Ukraine’s Odesa, Bild reports, citing its own sources.

According to the newspaper, the vessel was the EMIL, sailing under the Liberian flag and owned by the Hamburg-based German shipping company Johann M. K. Blumenthal GmbH & Co. KG. The ship was attacked about 21 nautical miles (approximately 39 kilometres) from Odesa.

The attack sparked a fire on board and disabled several of the vessel's technical systems, leaving it unable to manoeuvre. The crew was evacuated, and no injuries were reported.

Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed attacks had taken place in the Black Sea, stating that two vessels allegedly carrying military cargo had been targeted by drones the previous evening.

According to Bild, the second vessel was the Mera Queen, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged bulk carrier transporting grain. The newspaper reported that one crew member was killed in the attack.

By Jeyhun Aghazada