Crew members were rescued from an Estonian cargo ship off the coast of Odessa on Thursday hours after the vessel, which was caught in a crossfire between Ukrainian and Russian military forces, sank.
Six crew members were pulled from the Helt, which sank near the coast of Odessa, Ukraine, due to shelling from Russians, according to the Ukrainian Parliament.
All six crew members are in “satisfactory condition,” the Administration of Seaports of Ukraine told Parliament.
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The explosion may have been caused by a mine, preliminary reports indicated. But Capt. Igor Ilves, managing director of Estonian-based Vista Shipping Agency, which owns the ship, told the BBC the company did not believe the explosion was caused by a mine.
The crew comprised four Ukrainians, one Russian, and one Belarusian, Ilves, who was not aboard the ship when it sank, said. Helt was not carrying cargo and was anchored off the coast of Odessa in the Black Sea, according to Ilves.
Odessa is a major port city in Ukraine that had a population of about 1 million people prior to Russia’s blitz on the nation. The city has been prey to escalating military campaigns as Russia strives to take control.
Estonia, a NATO member, was formerly a Soviet republic. The tiny nation shares a border with Russia and has expressed outrage over the onslaught in Ukraine. The NATO Shipping Centre has warned of dangerous conditions in the Black Sea amid the conflict.
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Helt was not the only foreign ship near the Black Sea to sink amid the conflict in recent days. Banglar Samriddhi, a Bangladeshi-owned ship, was sunk Wednesday, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said. Banglar Samriddhi had been in the port of Olvia since the start of the invasion. One person was killed, and the other 28 crew members aboard were unharmed during the incident, which officials believe may have resulted from a missile or a bomb, Reuters reported.
