A Belize-flagged cargo vessel, the NS Pride, was damaged on August 31 after striking an unidentified explosive device near the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk in the Odesa region.
According to various news sources, the vessel, en route from Zonguldak, Turkey, to Sulina, Romania, was not carrying cargo at the time of the incident. Despite the blast, the vessel remained stable with no water ingress, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine’s Navy spokesperson, Dmytro Pletenchuk, said the sea remains contaminated with explosives due to Russian military actions, warning that the threat to civilian shipping cannot be fully eliminated.
Preliminary reports suggest the explosion may have been triggered by a fragment from a previously downed Russian Shahed drone, though drifting sea mines were also cited as a possible cause.
Sources reported that the crew of the NS PRIDE were unharmed and that the ship continued on its way. According to Reuters, earlier on 31 August, Odesa’s governor said that Chornomorsk had been subjected to a significant attack by Russian drones overnight, and part of the region was left without electricity due to strikes on energy facilities
