War

Russian forces repeatedly struck a German-owned bulk carrier off Odesa this week, including an attack as its crew was abandoning ship.
The Liberian-flagged, 175,000 dwt Emil, linked to Hamburg-based Johann M. K. Blumenthal, was hit by several Russian drones on August 5 around 21 nautical miles from Odesa. Technical systems were disabled, a fire broke out and the vessel was left unable to manoeuvre. Another drone reportedly struck while the crew was evacuating.
A second merchant vessel, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged Mera Queen, was also struck while carrying Ukrainian wheat. Ukrainian authorities said one seafarer was killed and three others injured. More than 30 seafarers have perished over the past five weeks as the Black Sea has become the most dangerous region for commercial shipping in the world.
Moscow acknowledged attacks on merchant vessels in waters near Odesa, claiming they were being used to transport military cargoes for Ukraine, but provided no publicly verifiable evidence.
The incidents came amid an increasingly intense exchange of drone strikes against maritime and energy targets on both sides of the conflict.
Ukraine responded with another round of long-range attacks on Russia’s oil industry, hitting the Bashneft-Novoil refinery in Bashkortostan and the Slavneft-YANOS facility at Yaroslavl.
Bashneft-Novoil lies more than 1,300 km from the frontline, while Yaroslavl is around 700 km from the Ukrainian border.
Slavneft-YANOS is one of Russia’s largest refineries, with capacity to process around 15m tonnes of crude annually, equivalent to roughly 300,000 barrels per day. Ukrainian military officials reported several fires at the facility following the strike, while processing equipment was also reportedly hit at Bashneft-Novoil.
The increasingly destructive Black Sea campaign coincided with a new round of British sanctions aimed squarely at Russia’s maritime energy network.
London added six ships to its blacklist on Thursday: LNG carrier Arctic Express and tankers Perseas, Torvian, Asteras, Visund and Zenturo. The UK said the vessels had transported Russian LNG, crude or petroleum products to third countries.
India-based Frion Ship Management was also sanctioned. The UK accused the Mumbai company of supporting the sale of the 2007-built Arctic Express into Russian ownership and control. The LNG carrier is now believed to be Russian-flagged and operated by SMP Tech Management.
The specified ships are barred from UK ports and British persons are prohibited from chartering or operating them, while restrictions extend to broking, financing, technical assistance and crew services.
The August 6 package contained 13 new designations and six ship specifications and was the first addition of new Russia sanctions targets since Andy Burnham became UK prime minister on July 20.