Azerbaijan Issues Warning After Russian Attack Kills Two Seafarers
Russia’s latest attack on commercial shipping killed and injured Azerbaijani citizens, prompting the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a warning. It comes as Russia’s Ministry of Defense continues to assert that it is attacking shipping and infrastructure used to support Ukraine’s military.
The offshore tug/supply ship Tedy (183 dwt) was reportedly attacked twice on September 9 and into the 10th. The Turkish-owned vessel was built in 1995 and was first struck during the daylight hours by a drone. Azerbaijani media is saying it was the second attack that came at night, as the tug was attempting to reach Constanta, Romania, that killed two of the country’s citizens and injured two others. The ministry, in its statement, said the two injured seafarers, however, were in a hospital in Chernomorsk, Ukraine.
The tug was reported to have a crew of 10, including the four from Azerbaijan as well as three from Turkey, two from Germany, and one from Ukraine. The tug is registered in Somalia.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said it was calling on citizens to refrain from traveling in regions where military operations are ongoing or the security situation is unstable. It also said citizens should avoid working in those areas, including ships operating on those routes.
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Russia did not acknowledge the injured and killed crewmembers, but asserted the vessel was attacked off the Odesa port complex while it was accompanying two dry cargo ships that were delivering material to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It reported that all three vessels were struck, along with attacks on a terminal used to store military cargo in Chernomorsk and a depot in Mykolaiv. Later, it also reported strikes on a dry cargo ship in the port of Chernomorsk that it asserted was delivering military cargo.
It was the latest in an escalation of attacks that have been ongoing all summer. Ukraine’s Ministry for Development of Communities said starting in July and into August, Russia attacked 52 civilian vessels. It says this has included 35 vessels in port waters and, in July, another 22 at sea. It said there had also been 67 attacks on Ukrainian ports.
