Last night, the Turkish-owned Tuzla ship was attacked in Ukraine’s Kherson Port. While there was no loss of life in the incident, the Ministry of Defense and shipowners took action to rescue 12 Turkish ships stuck in the region.
The attack of the Turkish-owned Tuzla ship in Ukraine’s Kherson Port last night increased the concerns for the ships stranded in the region. Speaking to EKONOMİ newspaper, Deputy Chairman of the Coaster Shipowners and Operators Association (KOSDER) Hakan Çendik said that the Ministry of National Defense and shipowners took action to remove the stranded ships in the region.
The Turkish-owned Tuzla ship was attacked and hit over the bridge at 21:00 yesterday in Ukraine’s Kherson Port. The Vanuatu flagged ship named Tuzla is operated by Çayeli Shipping company. As a result of the attack, a fire occurred on the bridge (the captain’s lodge).
Noting that the firefighters in the port could not intervene in the ship since the city and the port were under missile attack, Çendik said that the bridge was completely burned. There were no Turkish personnel on board. It was reported that the Azeri captain, who was the only personnel on board, took refuge in another ship of the same company.
Hakan Çendik, Vice President of the Coaster Shipowners and Operators Association (KOSDER), stated that the Ministry of National Defense and the companies that are the owners of the ships met today and that the stranded ships are planned to be removed in the near future. Çendik said, “We expect both the ships and their personnel to leave the area safely as soon as possible.” He met with the remaining ship owners. What happened yesterday was unfortunate,” he said.
14 ships were rescued
When the war began, 26 Turkish-owned ships were stranded in Ukraine. About 30 days later, 6 ships in the ports of Mariupol and Berdiansk were disembarked by convoy. Then, about 5 months later, 8 ships stuck in the ports of Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk were removed from the region. 12 ships are stranded in the region. Hakan Çendik said, “Unfortunately, 12 ships in the Nikolayev and Kherson region could not be removed due to the mines and authority gap in the channel.”
Stating that all shipowners are in contact with the Turkish authorities to remove the ships from the region, Çendik said, “Today, the Ministry of National Defense and the companies that are the owners of the ships met. The ships are scheduled to be launched in the near future. We expect both ships and personnel to leave the area safely as soon as possible,” he said.
Çendik said that most of the personnel of the ships stranded in Ukrainian ports left after the war started, only a small number of personnel and Ukrainian guards were waiting for the ships.
The opinions expressed herein are the author’s and not necessarily those of News2Sea.
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