Turkish Cargo Ship in Black Sea Reportedly Hit by 'Bomb' en Route From Odessa

This is the third time a civilian ship has been hit in the vicinity of Ukraine’s borders. Earlier, two Russian cargo ships in the Azov Sea came under fire from the Ukrainian military, resulting in one of the crew members being severely injured.

A Turkish cargo ship sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands from Odessa to Romania in the Black Sea was hit by a "bomb", Turkey’s NTV news outlet has reported. The cargo ship, named "Jupiter", is operated by the YA-SA Shipping company.

According to NTV, there are no casualties among the ship's crew as a result of the incident. The Turkish General Directorate of Maritime Affairs said that the ship had not requested any aid.

Images of damage reportedly done to Turkish cargo ship "Jupiter"

© Photo : NTV///Twitter screeenshot

It is unclear where the "bomb" came from, but according to the media report, the ship was hit 50 miles (92.6 kilometres) south of Odessa, Ukraine.

This is the third ship that has reportedly been hit today in the vicinity of Ukraine’s borders. Earlier in the day, Russia’s border service in the Kuban region reported that two Russian cargo ships, the SGV-FLOT and the SERAPHIM SAROVSKIY had come under missile fire by the Ukrainian Armed Forces while sailing through the Azov Sea. The attack damaged one of the ships, starting a fire on board that severely injured one of the crew members.

The attacks on the vessels come amid the launch of a Russian special operation in Donbass ordered by President Vladimir Putin this morning in response to requests from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). Putin insisted that the situation in Donbass had become critical due to the actions of the Ukrainian military, which had been shelling the two republics for over a week. The president said that Russia was forced to interfere to protect the DPR and LPR.

Western countries have condemned Russia's actions. Their leaders have vowed to slap Moscow with "severe sanctions" on top of those already filed earlier this week in response to Russia's recognition of the DPR and LPR's independence.