Commercial ship heading to Ukraine hits mine, two injured

A Panama-flagged commercial ship heading to a Ukrainian port to load grain hit a mine and two sailors were injured, border guards said Thursday.

“A Panamanian-flagged civilian ship exploded on an enemy sea mine in the Black Sea. The bulk carrier was going to a port on the Danube to load grain,” the border guard service said in a statement. According to them, the ship lost control and a fire broke out after the impact. Tugboats were sent to the ship to escort it back to port. “Two sailors were injured. One of them was treated at the scene, while the other was transported to the nearest hospital for further examination. His condition is satisfactory,” they add.

Ukraine was able to export its cereals via the Black Sea for almost a year thanks to an agreement with Russia from which Moscow finally withdrew in July by denouncing Western sanctions targeting its own sales of agricultural products.

Ukrainian authorities continued to export their production by establishing a maritime corridor, although at lower levels than those recorded during the operation of the agreement. Russia has repeatedly struck Ukrainian port infrastructure in the South and on the Danube, another trade route for Ukrainian agriculture, in recent months.