There is a high risk of collateral damage on civilian shipping in the north-western part of the Black Sea, while there are several open-source reports of civilian ships being hit directly or indirectly as a result of the acts of war in the north western Black Sea.
Due to the situation, civilian shipping is encouraged to exercise caution and be on high alert in the area and stay in close contact with national and local maritime authorities.
According to Dryad, shipping should thoroughly document any incidents and report these via their respective national channels and to the local maritime authorities.
As of now, a large number of navigation warnings have been issued, covering a number of warning areas, including mine danger areas. Shipping is encouraged to stay well informed about these and keep well clear of the areas as well as warships and military crafts. It should always be taken into account that the situation may develop further during a voyage.
Recent reports from Bangladesh indicate that a third engineer was killed by an artillery or missile attack near Mykolaiv. The bulker Banglar Samriddhi was reported as stranded at the anchorage off the Port of Olvia, located in the Mykolaiv region on the northern Black Sea coast.
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority is reporting that the vessel was struck by one Russian missile hitting the superstructure of the vessel. The Ukrainian authorities also reported that two tugs were sent to help the vessel and that they believed there were no injuries among the crew.
Nonetheless, Bangladeshi media reported that the third engineer of the vessel was killed during the attack. The crew was able to control the fire after the vessel was hit and that the other crew members were uninjured.