Update 2 (May 16) – Shipping industry news site Tradewinds reports that Ince Shipping has confirmed its ship was hit by a missile.
Update 1 – Reuters reported Sunday that it was unable to confirm whether the explosion was caused by a missile or something else, like equipment that overheated. See the story here: Explosion Damages Ship Carrying Wheat to Yemen)
May 14 – By Cagan Koc, Isis Almeida and Anatoly Medetsky (Bloomberg) — A ship carrying Russian wheat to Yemen was hit by a missile last week near its destination, highlighting the risk of supplying a market that’s embroiled in a conflict.
The missile exploded Thursday inside the hold of the Ince Inebolu, which was carrying about 50,000 metric tons of wheat and anchored 70 miles (113 kilometers) off the coast of Yemen, according to Istanbul-based Ince Shipping Group, the vessel owner. The captain reported no casualties and the wheat wasn’t damaged. It’s unclear who fired the missile.
Ince Shipping said the ship was ordered by a Saudi naval vessel to head to the Saudi port of Jizan following the attack, and it’s currently outside the Red Sea port, ship-tracking data on Bloomberg show. Yemen’s Fahem Group is the buyer of the Russian cargo, Ince said.
Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is fighting rebels, was the seventh-biggest buyer of Russian wheat in February, according to the Moscow-based National Association of Exporters of Agriculture Products. The Middle Eastern country accounted for about 4 percent of Russia’s 3.2 million tons of wheat exports that month.
The Ince Inebolu vessel was carrying grain from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, according to Ince Shipping. The company isn’t sure when the grain can now be delivered, and the cargo needs to unloaded before the ship can be taken for repairs, it said.
© 2018 Bloomberg L.P
Join the gCaptain Club for curated content, insider opinions, and vibrant community discussions.
Join the 109,794 members that receive our newsletter.
Have a news tip? Let us know.
Denmark has rejected a Japanese request to extradite anti-whaling activist Paul Watson over criminal charges dating back more than a decade, a Danish lawyer representing Watson said on Tuesday.
A 37-year-old crew member was saved after spending three harrowing days adrift at sea following alleged abuse aboard a fishing vessel. Afif Efendy, a crew member of the fishing vessel...
British oil and gas major Shell on Tuesday settled a London lawsuit it brought against environmental group Greenpeace after activists boarded a Shell oil production vessel last year.
Maritime and offshore news trusted by our 109,794 members delivered daily straight to your inbox.
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
