Russia targeted a containership over the weekend it claimed to be carrying weapons to Ukraine. The attack on the Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) ship at the port of Odesa also hit a nearby Sierra Leone-flagged bulk carrier in collateral damage.
The 1,118 teu MSC Levante F and the laden 28,500 dwt Super Sarkas handysize managed by Turkey-based Thor Shipping and Trading were hit in a Russian ballistic missile strike on Saturday, an attack which injured two port workers and further damaged the badly hit port of Odesa.
Russian Telegram war channel Talipov Online claimed: “It was established that in Turkey the [MSC] ship loaded additional containers of two colours on board – red and yellow – which contained British sea drones and weapons from the Turkish NATO base.”
Ukrainian vice prime minister Oleksii Kuleba denied the arms shipment, maintaining the vessel was carrying “completely civilian cargo”.
Extent of the damage to the two ships remains unclear.
In July last year, the MSC Levante F became the first MSC ship to restart calls in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.
