German Cargo Ship Attacked by Russian Drone in Black Sea

A cargo ship owned by a German company has been attacked by Russian military drones in the Black Sea, according to daily Bild and other media reports on the 6th (local time).

According to the reports, multiple drones struck the cargo ship Emil while it was sailing about 39 kilometers away from Odesa, Ukraine, on the 5th.

The ship caught fire and was rendered inoperable.

All 11 crew members evacuated safely, resulting in no casualties.

The Emil is a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier owned by German shipping company Johann MK Blumenthal.

The vessel has a length of 292 meters and a deadweight tonnage of approximately 175,000 tons.

According to Ukrainian port authorities, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged grain carrier Mera Queen was also attacked by Russian military drones on the same day, leaving one crew member dead.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it attacked two cargo ships with drones in the waters south and east of Odesa, alleging that the vessels were carrying military supplies.

On the night prior to the cargo ship attacks, a drone carrying explosives was discovered at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany, prompting federal prosecutors to investigate the incident with a possible terrorist motive in mind.

A cargo plane belonging to Ukraine's state-owned Antonov Airlines was on the runway at the time.

Antonov Airlines has been effectively using Leipzig Airport as its hub since the outbreak of the war in 2022.

A DHL cargo plane attempting to land at the airport collided with another drone, sustaining structural damage.

German authorities recovered and analyzed the drone, revealing that it was loaded with Semtex, a plastic explosive used for both industrial and military purposes.

Semtex has previously been used in aviation terrorist attacks, including the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the bombing of a French airline UTA passenger plane the following year.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.