In brief
A Turkish car ferry, the Cenk T, sustained substantial fire damage after being struck in Odesa, Ukraine. Ukraine's President Zelensky attributed the strike to Russia. The incident occurred following discussions between Turkish and Russian leaders about a possible ceasefire, amid ongoing attacks and escalations in the Black Sea region. Despite emergency efforts, there were no reports of casualties among the crew, and Turkey has called for an agreement to ensure shipping security.
A large fire broke out on a Turkish car ferry anchored at the Ukrainian port city of Odesa after it was hit in a strike on Friday.
The company that operates the Cenk T confirmed the attack occurred at 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) shortly after it docked at the Chornomorsk port.
Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky has blamed the strike on Russia, which has not commented.
The attack came hours after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Russian President Vladimir Putin that a limited ceasefire for energy facilities and ports could be beneficial. Russia has resisted all calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow has threatened to cut Ukraine off from the sea in response to Kyiv's maritime drone attacks on Russia's shadow fleet tankers thought to be used to export oil - and a main source for funding the ongoing war.
Cenk Denizcilik, the company that owns the cargo ship that operates on the Karasu-Odesa route across the Black Sea, said on Friday that it had been carrying essential food supplies when it was hit shortly after anchoring.
Emergency response measures were activated with the vessel's crew, port fire brigade and assisting tugboats after a fire broke out on the forward section of the ship. At this stage, there are no reports of casualties or injuries among the crew, it said.
Video footage of the attack's aftermath, which was shared on Zelensky's Telegram account, shows crews attempting to extinguish a large blaze on the vessel.
While condemning a series of missile attacks that Russia had carried out on the Odesa region the night before, the Ukrainian leader blamed Moscow for targeting the civilian Turkish ship, saying it could not have any military meaning.
Turkey's foreign ministry stated an agreement should be reached that would guarantee the security of shipping and suspending attacks against energy and port infrastructure in order to prevent escalation in the Black Sea.
We once again underline the importance of urgently ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, the ministry added.
Turkey has sought to maintain relations with both countries since the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Turkey controls the Bosphorus Strait, a key passage for transporting Ukrainian grain and Russian oil to the Mediterranean.
