Turkish authorities claim cargo ship hit by bomb off Odessa Port, Ukraine

Turkish maritime authorities have claimed that a Turkish-owned vessel was struck by a bomb shortly after it left the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa on Thursday, February 24.

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Yasa Jupiter had just completed cargo operations and was sailing for Romanian territorial waters when it was struck by a weapon of unknown origin, the Turkish General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said in a statement following the incident.

The vessel sustained slight damage to one of its hatch covers. However, there were no injuries or loss of life reported among the crew.

Authorities added that the crew made no requests for help and that the vessel is continuing on its voyage to the waters off Romania.

The incident occurred amidst an ongoing military offensive by Russian air and ground forces against targets throughout Ukraine, whose government has since ordered the suspension of all commercial port operations.

Maritime security consultancy Dryad Global has meanwhile issued an advisory warning commercial vessel operators to avoid transiting in the Black Sea within the Ukrainian and Russian exclusive economic zones.