The movement of vessels from and to Odesa Oblast’s ports through the temporary Black Sea corridor has continued despite Russia’s Nov. 8 attack on a civilian ship, the Infrastructure Ministry reported on Nov. 9.
Six cargo vessels loaded with 231,000 metric tons of agricultural products have left Ukraine’s ports heading towards the Bosphorus while five more ships are waiting to enter the ports, according to the ministry.
The previous evening, a Russian missile struck a foreign civilian ship in a port in Odesa Oblast, killing one person on board and injuring four others, the Southern Defense Forces reported.
The ship sails under the flag of Liberia and was "a civilian vessel carrying iron ore to China," with all of the crew being citizens of the Philippines, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on X, formerly Twitter.
According to Kubrakov, this was Russia’s 21st targeted attack on Ukraine’s port infrastructure after the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17. Over this time, Russian attacks have damaged more than 160 infrastructure facilities, including 122 vehicles, the minister added.
The Ukrainian Navy opened a temporary corridor in August, allowing cargo ships to exit and enter the region's ports.
Since then, 91 ships have exported 3.3 million metric tons of agricultural and metal products from Ukraine’s ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdenny, according to the Infrastructure Ministry.
Dominic Culverwell
