Russian Missile Strike Hits Two Vessels At Odesa Port, Injuring 2 Workers

A Russian ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian port of Odesa on March 1, 2025, damaged two civilian vessels and injured two port workers, Ukrainian officials confirmed.

The targeted ships included the Panamanian-flagged MSC Levante F, a 1,118 TEU container ship operated by MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, and the Sierra Leone-flagged Super Sarkas, a bulk carrier transporting over 21,000 tonnes of corn and soybeans for export.

Regional Governor Oleh Kiper reported that both ships sustained damage in the blast, though the full extent of the damage is still unknown.

Emergency teams were deployed to the site, and the injured port workers received medical care. The attack also caused damage to the port infrastructure.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories confirmed that this strike marks the 29th civilian vessel hit by Russian forces since the invasion began.

Despite ongoing attacks, Ukraine’s maritime food corridor remains operational, with over 106 million tonnes of cargo transported since the war began, including 70 million tonnes of grain.

Alexei Sukhoi, a journalist for the Ukrainian outlet Dumskaya, described the missile strike as a deliberate attempt to intimidate European shipping companies and disrupt operations at the port.

According to some unverified reports, Russia may have targeted the vessels due to suspicions that they were carrying British weapons for Ukraine.

The MSC Levante F, originally named Maya 2, was built in 2006 and acquired by MSC in 2021. The vessel had arrived in Odesa earlier that day after a stop in Turkey.

MSC resumed its Ukraine operations in June 2024, alongside shipping giants like Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has also retaliated against Russian targets. On March 1, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged a Panama-flagged vessel in Russia’s Black Sea port of Tuapse.

The same day, Russia claimed that Ukrainian forces attempted to strike a compressor station for the TurkStream pipeline, but all drones were intercepted.

Odesa, Ukraine’s third largest city, has been repeatedly targeted by Russian missile and drone attacks throughout the war.

In February, a drone strike left 160,000 residents without power and injured several civilians. In October, four cargo ships were hit in another assault.

Despite these attacks, Ukrainian officials insist that the country’s grain exports and trade corridors will continue to operate.

References: Bloomberg, World Cargo News

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