Explosion Kills Three and Sinks Ukrainian Dredge on a Danube Canal

The Sea Ports Authority of Ukraine issued a brief statement confirming that there has been an explosion killing three people working on a dredge employed by the authority. Few details were released, but the Ukrainian media is saying it was likely a mine in the Bystre waterway, one of the canals linking the Danube to the Black Sea.

The authority reported that the explosion took place on the evening of July 23 while its dredger was conducting normal work on the channel. There was a total of 11 people aboard, and in addition to the three who were killed, others were reported to be in the hospital.

The Bystre is currently closed, and the emergency authorities are on the scene. The authority said the details were being investigated. It notes that the Sulin Channel to the south, also linking to the Danube, remains open for vessel traffic. Ukraine had reopened the Bystre strait for commercial vessels in July 202 after the liberation of Zmiiniy (Snake) Island from the Russians.

The Ukrainian media outlet Dumskaya is identifying the vessel as the Ingulskiy, a Damen-built dredge operating for the authority since 2012. The vessel, which was 60 meters (197 feet) and could operate at depths up to 15 meters (approximately 50 feet), has reportedly sunk in the waterway. It struck the mine, the media report says, near the town of Vilkovo, which is along the Danube in the Delta region.

The Danube seaports played a critical role for Ukraine after the Russian invasion, being the primary way to maintain water transport. After ports were reopened in the Odesa region, traffic on the Danube declined, but it remains a key waterway for commerce both for Ukraine and neighboring Romania. The Bystre was important during the Soviet era and reopened by Ukraine as an alternative to traveling along the Sulina, which is controlled by Romania. The Bystre is reported open for vessels with a maximum draft of 4.5 meters (approximately 15 feet).