by Lloyd's List

10 October 2024 (Lloyd's List) - A PANAMA-flagged containership has been damaged during a missile attack on port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, becoming the third ship to be struck in the space of a week.

The vessel has been identified by Ukraine’s deputy prime minister and the minister of infrastructure and regional policy Oleksiy Kuleba as Shui Spirit (IMO: 9216729).

Shui Spirit is berthed in Chornomorsk having arrived on October 8, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence data.

During the attack seven people were killed and 11 injured, all citizens of Ukraine.

Details of who the victims have not been released, but the governor of Odesa Oblast Oleh Kiper said a port employee has died.

“This is the third attack on a civilian vessel in the last four days,” said Kiper in a post on their official Telegram channel.

“An insidious enemy is trying to disrupt the work of the Ukrainian Grain Corridor, killing civilians and destroying infrastructure.”

It is unusual for so many ships to be damaged during broader campaigns, but not unexpected.

“The threat of collateral damage from port infrastructure attacks never went away,” explains Control Risks researcher Arran Kennedy.

“Since the collapse of the grain deal and until recently, there was a surprisingly long period where berthed ships hadn’t been hit, either by the stray projectiles themselves or debris.”

Security analysts have yet to revise their threat assessments for vessels calling to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.

Ukrainian traders are so far not concerned about the increased frequency of incidents where ships are hit, telling Lloyd's List that the security situation has not influenced business decisions. 

Over the course of the war risk tolerance has increased with traders and shippers learning to accept the persistent threat posed by Russia while trading out of Odesa’s deepsea ports.