Cargo ship hits a mine off the coast of Odesa

A civilian cargo ship was damaged after colliding with an explosive device, apparently a sea mine, off the coast of Odesa.

This was reported by the Suspilne media outlet with reference to Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy.

According to him, none of the crew was injured. The ship is currently being inspected, and it is likely to be able to continue moving on its own.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure that civilian shipping is as safe as possible. However, despite this, sometimes such incidents can occur," the spokesman said.

Earlier, the death toll from the Russian attack on the Ukrainian Navy ship Simferopol increased to two people. Before that, the Navy confirmed the death of one crew member.

The spokesperson also emphasized that several sailors were missing and several others were injured. However, according to Pletenchuk, most of the crew has been safe since yesterday.

On August 28, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that a medium-sized reconnaissance ship Simferopol had been defeated at the mouth of the Danube River using a fast-moving unmanned boat, according to a statement by the Russians.

Earlier, late in the evening, on July 23, an emergency occurred with a dredger belonging to the Delta Pilot branch of the state enterprise Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority - the vessel hit a mine. The explosion killed three USPA employees. Other crew members were hospitalized. The vessel was at the mouth of the Bystrye River to carry out scheduled work with 11 crew members. The Bystre estuary channel was closed to ship traffic for some time. This was the first such incident in the last three years.

Кирило Бойко