Bulker Struck by Russian Drone Departing Ukraine

Bulker was struck after loading and as it was departing Ukraine but continued its voyage (Oleg Kiper/Odesa Regional State Administration)

Published Mar 5, 2026 3:22 PM by The Maritime Executive

Ukrainian officials are reporting that another commercial vessel was struck in Russia’s ongoing campaign against the export operations and key ports. Russia escalated its attacks on Ukraine’s maritime infrastructure since late 2025, when Ukraine took credit for damaging tankers in the Black Sea inbound to export Russian oil. Vladimir Putin had threatened to cut Ukraine off from the sea.

The latest incident was reported late on March 4 and involved a Liberian-flagged bulker. The Seaports Administration of Ukraine reported the incident, which was also confirmed by Oleg Kiper of the Odesa Regional Administration.

A bulker named Bull (82,000 dwt) was loaded with a cargo of corn. It was departing the port of Chornomorsk when the Ukrainian said it was struck by a Russian drone.

The vessel sustained damage, but the details were not reported. Both the authority and Kiper said there were injuries among the crew and that Ukraine was offering assistance.

The captain of the bulker, which is owned and managed from Singapore, is reported to have declined assistance as well as an evacuation for what was reported in the news as one injured crewmember. The Port Authority later said it was informed that the vessel was continuing on its route through the Ukrainian Corridor heading to the Bosphorus Strait. The vessel had come from Spain and is believed to be returning to Spain with the cargo.

Over the past months, there have been reports of several vessels being struck while they were docked in the ports of the Odesa region. At least one was shown on fire, and port infrastructure and containers have also been damaged by the attacks.

Ukraine’s Economic Ministry has released data showing a nearly 25 percent decrease in grain exports since the current season began in July 2025. As of the beginning of March, it reported exports of 22.3 million tonnes of grains. The state-owned railway, however, reported in February that shipments of grains into the ports increased 5.5 percent. It said exports were being slowed by winter weather and damage to the port infrastructure.

Ukrainian Strike on Novorossiysk Also Damaged Russian Warships

Antiaircraft fire and flares light the night during a previous Ukrainian strike on Novorossiysk, 2025 (Russian social media)

Published Mar 4, 2026 6:43 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

The recent Ukrainian strike on Novorossiysk caused damage to a Transneft oil loading terminal, and may also have extended to Russian Navy warships, according to Ukrainian sources. 

Ukrainska Pravda reports that the Russian minesweeper Valentin Pikul was seriously damaged in the Sunday night attack, and the antisubmarine patrol vessels Yeysk and Kasimov were struck as well. Three Russian sailors were reported dead, and 14 more injured. 

The strikes on the Black Sea Fleet add to previously-reported damage at the Sheskharis oil terminal in Novorossiysk's inner harbor, where six out of seven loading booms were reportedly damaged. 

The attack was part of a long-running Ukrainian campaign to shut down Russia's oil exports from Black Sea loading terminals, thereby reducing Russian energy revenue, which funds the ongoing invasion. Ukraine has also hit terminals at Tuapse and Temryuk, along with the CPC single-point mooring terminal outside Novorossiysk's harbor entrance. 

Ukraine has also struck the Black Sea Fleet repeatedly, first at Sevastopol and other Crimean ports, then in the Sea of Azov and the northeastern Black Sea. Novorossiysk is the fleet's final bastion, and most of the surviving hulls have retreated to the protected harbor. However, even this remote location is not immune: in December, Ukraine claimed to have hit the Kilo-class sub Varshavyanka at the naval pier in Novorossiysk using a submersible suicide drone. Varshavyanka and other vessels in the fleet have been used as launch platforms to attack Ukrainian cities with cruise missiles throughout the war.

The strikes at Novorossiysk parallel Ukraine's efforts to damage Russia-linked energy shipping at sea, notably the ultra-long-distance strike on the sanctioned LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz - perhaps the first attack ever to sink a vessel of this type.