Russian missile strike on Odesa port kills four crew members of grain ship

A Russian missile strike in the port of Odesa has resulted in the deaths of four crew members aboard a foreign vessel, as well as injuries to another sailor.

The vessel, a dry cargo ship named MJ Pinar, was en route to Algeria carrying a shipment of grain at the time of the attack, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

According to Sergey Bratchuk, Chairman of the Public Council at the Military Administration of Odessa, the incident occurred during the ship's loading of wheat for export.

"Four crew members of the vessel MJ Pinar were killed, and another sailor was injured. Additionally, an employee from a pilotage company aboard the ship was injured," Bratchuk stated, citing information from the Ukrainian Ports Administration.

The attack also caused significant damage to the infrastructure within the Odesa seaport, including the pier and the grain terminal gallery.

The MJ Pinar, flying the flag of Barbados, had a crew of 12. Among the deceased are three Syrians and one Ukrainian. The ship was carrying 30,000 tons of grain when the missile struck. Emergency services are currently on-site, working to assess and address the damage.

Reports from various social media and Telegram channels suggest that the strike was carried out by a Russian Iskander-M missile equipped with a cluster warhead.

The operator of the ship is a Greek company, and the vessel is classified as a dry cargo ship. It was docked at the time of the missile strike.

This attack occurred during a larger wave of Russian military activity in Odesa. On the night of March 11, Russian forces launched a massive drone strike on the city, which caused extensive damage. Warehouses, fuel tanks, a business centre, and several buildings were hit. Fires broke out in multiple locations, including fuel tanks and a toy warehouse. The total area of destruction from these attacks is reported to exceed 2,780 square meters.

By Tamilla Hasanova