New details emerge on merchant ship struck by Russian missile

Photo: Zelensky/Telegram

The merchant ship struck by a Russian missile on September 11 has now been identified as the Saint Kitts and Nevis flagged bulk carrier Aya .

According to some reports it the Aya was struck by a Kh-22 missile launched from a Russian Tu-22M Backfire bomber and was carrying 26,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain heading for Egypt.

A threat circular released by Ambrey says that, at that the time that the ship was struck, it was in the Romanian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

Ambrey says that the incident marks the first direct missile attack on a merchant vessel in the Black Sea since November 2023, says Ambrey. It is also the first instance of non-sea mine-related physical damage to a merchant vessel outside the Black Sea Joint War Committee Listed Area (JWLA).

Ambrey says that still images of the aftermath of the strike showed that the vessel was struck on the port side. A cargo hold and a crane were also damaged. The Romanian Coast Guard confirmed in a statement that the master “of a civilian ship, outside our country’s territorial waters, but in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Romania, sent a radio message informing that an explosion had occurred on board the ship. …The ship’s captain requested the change of the navigation route to Constanta (Romania) in order to assess the effects.”

According to the AIS data, says Ambrey, the vessel managed to sail toward Constanta under its own power, indicating that its propulsion system was not compromised. Ambrey observed the Romanian search and rescue vessel Artemis sailing out of Constanta, Romania shortly after the Aya began drifting 24 nautical miles east of the Romanian port. At the time of writing, the bulk carrier remained drifting off the coast of Constanta. No casualties were reported.

Ambrey assesses that vessels calling Ukrainian ports face a heightened risk of direct attack by Russian forces, extending beyond JWLA-designated boundaries. Until Russian officials provide an explanation, the threat to vessels calling Ukraine remains high. However, Ambrey has observed that vessels have continued to use the UEC. Ukraine has targeted military supply shipments and, if it were to retaliate, this would likely significantly increase the risk of navigating the Black Sea. Ukraine has also shown capability and willingness to attack Russian Baltic maritime infrastructure. However, further escalation is not in the strategic interest of either Russia or Ukraine. Any additional attacks on merchant vessels could trigger an expansion of the JWLA zone beyond Russian and Ukrainian waters, the escalation would also result in the raising of War Risk Premiums within the Black Sea region. This increase would make trade with both Russia and Ukraine significantly more costly, placing further pressure on maritime trade and supply chains in the region.

• Read the full Ambrey circular, including suggested mitigation measures HERE