Drone Strike Sets Turkish Tanker Ship On Fire In Odesa Hours After Ukraine Signs U.S. Gas Deal

A suspected Russian drone struck a Turkish-flagged tanker in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Monday, causing a major fire at the port of Izmail.

The incident took place less than a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement to begin importing U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the region from January.

Turkey’s Directorate for Maritime Affairs reported that the MT Orinda was hit while offloading liquefied petroleum gas. According to the authority, all 16 crew members were able to leave the ship safely and no injuries were recorded.

Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration, said through official channels that drones caused damage to port and energy infrastructure in several cities. He added that multiple fires broke out and several civilian vessels were affected and at least one person was injured in the strikes.

Izmail, which lies on a Black Sea estuary and serves as a key export route for Ukraine, has been repeatedly targeted since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly four years ago.

On the Romanian side of the Danube, authorities ordered residents and animals to be evacuated from the villages of Plauru and Ceatalchioi in Tulcea County due to the nature of the tanker’s cargo. Footage from the area showed the vessel engulfed in flames, with thick smoke visible from across the river.

Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said its radar systems tracked multiple aerial targets overnight but detected no incursions into Romanian airspace.

In a public statement, the ministry said its monitoring systems followed the movement of targets within Ukrainian airspace close to Tulcea County during the night of 16–17 November, when Russian forces struck areas near the border.

The tanker strike occurred shortly after Zelenskyy concluded an official visit to Greece, where he finalised an agreement enabling U.S. LNG to reach Odesa via pipelines from the northern Greek port of Alexandroupolis starting early next year. With continued attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities, Kyiv is seeking to secure alternative supplies ahead of winter.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russian attacks caused further casualties. Overnight missile strikes in Balakliya in the Kharkiv region killed three people and injured 11 others, according to local authorities. Among those hurt were four girls aged 12, 14, 15 and 17.

In the central Dnipropetrovsk region, drones and artillery struck the city of Nikopol, killing two people and wounding two others. The regional military chief, Vladyslav Haivanenko, reported damage to high-rise apartment blocks, shops and a hair salon.

Ukraine’s air force stated that Russia launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles along with 128 strike and decoy drones overnight. Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 36 Ukrainian drones as Ukraine continued efforts to target Russia’s power infrastructure.

In Russia’s Ulyanovsk region, the local governor said a Ukrainian drone damaged an electricity substation. He added that there were no casualties and power supplies remained stable.

According to United Nations data, more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed since the start of the invasion.

References: AP News, FoxNews

Source: Maritime Shipping News