Arab News Japan

TOKYO: A Panamanian-registered cargo ship owned by a Japanese company was hit by a shell off Ukraine’s southern coast and one of its 20 crew members suffered a non-life-threatening injury, according to its owner and media reports.

The ship’s owner, Nikko Kisen K.K., based in Imabari in western Japan, confirmed media reports Saturday that its bulk carrier Namura Queen suffered damage and that one of its 20 Filipino crew members was injured. The company gave no further details.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine tweeted images on Friday showing the damaged vessel, saying that “the aggressor fired on two foreign vessels near the port of Yuzhny.”

#stoprussia
Міністерство інфраструктури України повідомляє: агресор обстріляв 2️⃣ іноземні судна біля порту Південний​ ➡️ https://t.co/daJ5Iqx0mZ pic.twitter.com/lXjKK9Ipwo

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) February 25, 2022

Nissen Shipping told The Japan Maritime Daily, “There is no doubt that it is a ship owned by our group. The current situation of the accident is as reported.”

This may affect the transportation of grain – Ukraine’s main export – regardless of domestic or foreign operators.

According to sources, the ship was leased by a Chinese operator and planned to transport grain to China. Nissen Shipping did not confirm this.

The 47,167-ton ship, which was just off the coast of Ukraine in the Black Sea at the time of the incident, remains operable and has headed to Turkey to assess the extent of its damage, Kyodo News agency said.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure said the shelling was carried out by Russia, and the Moldova-registered bunker MILLENNIUM SPIRIT was also hit.

Following Russia’s military invasion, a number of ordinary merchant ships sailing around the Black Sea have been hit one. Major ports in the Black Sea, including Odessa, have already been blocked, and container shipping companies have also suspended accepting and dispatching cargo.

The Black Sea, where the “Namura Queen” was hit, is to be designated as an “exclusion zone” in which a surcharge is incurred when sailing under ship war insurance due to the increasing tension in Ukraine.

*with AP