Bulker Struck by Russian Drone Departing Ukraine
Ukrainian officials are reporting that another commercial vessel was struck in Russia’s ongoing campaign against the export operations and key ports. Russia escalated its attacks on Ukraine’s maritime infrastructure since late 2025, when Ukraine took credit for damaging tankers in the Black Sea inbound to export Russian oil. Vladimir Putin had threatened to cut Ukraine off from the sea.
The latest incident was reported late on March 4 and involved a Liberian-flagged bulker. The Seaports Administration of Ukraine reported the incident, which was also confirmed by Oleg Kiper of the Odesa Regional Administration.
A bulker named Bull (82,000 dwt) was loaded with a cargo of corn. It was departing the port of Chornomorsk when the Ukrainian said it was struck by a Russian drone.
The vessel sustained damage, but the details were not reported. Both the authority and Kiper said there were injuries among the crew and that Ukraine was offering assistance.
The captain of the bulker, which is owned and managed from Singapore, is reported to have declined assistance as well as an evacuation for what was reported in the news as one injured crewmember. The Port Authority later said it was informed that the vessel was continuing on its route through the Ukrainian Corridor heading to the Bosphorus Strait. The vessel had come from Spain and is believed to be returning to Spain with the cargo.
Over the past months, there have been reports of several vessels being struck while they were docked in the ports of the Odesa region. At least one was shown on fire, and port infrastructure and containers have also been damaged by the attacks.
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Ukraine’s Economic Ministry has released data showing a nearly 25 percent decrease in grain exports since the current season began in July 2025. As of the beginning of March, it reported exports of 22.3 million tonnes of grains. The state-owned railway, however, reported in February that shipments of grains into the ports increased 5.5 percent. It said exports were being slowed by winter weather and damage to the port infrastructure.
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