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Bulk carrier and roro ferry attacked off Tuapse
The 'Ural', that had come to the aid of the bulk carrier 'Necibe' (IMO: 9548732), which had been struck and severely damaged by drones for the second time within a few days, was also attacked on Aug 21, 2026. The ro-ro vessel, operated by Kalyoncu Denizcilik, that regularly sailed between Samsun and Novorossiysk, had previously rescued 18 crew members from the 'Necibe', operated by the TQ Ship Management, which had caught fire following another Ukrainian attack in the Black Sea. One Turkish crew member, the chief cook İlker Lazoğlu, was killed, just after he had boarded the rescue ship, and eight others sustained injuries during the attack off the coast of Novorossiysk. The 'Ural' arrived at the port of Samsun on the morning of Aug 22, carrying the injured crew members and the body of the Turkish sailor who lost his life in the attack, and docked at the port of with the assistance of tugs. Upon the ship's arrival at the port, the body of İlker Lazoğlu, a father of two, was handed over to his family. The injured crew members were transported to hospitals in the city by ambulance. Reports with photos: https://english.news.cn/20260824/d0d42b5cd6484cb99df262b170029588/c.html https://demokratgundem.com/turk-denizci-karadeniz-saldirisi/?fbclid=Iwb21leAT27rljbGNrBPbutXBkb2YFZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMzUwNjg1NTMxNzI4AAEe03sKTvMDH5RqUzNafm3vdhYR03pyGxCrMBLMZhjyMcmNJziVFLezlpiOqIs_aem_bK1RIT3xxqehFXimk2tmlw
Roro ship minus cargo released
The "Ural", which had been arrested at Sfax on Feb 15, was released on Apr 6 without her cargo of military equipment, which has been seized by Tunisian authorities. The cargo was a complex shipment of everything required to set up military camp, including armoured vehicles and weaponry. The "Ural" had sailed from Novorossiysk and was bound for Douala, Cameroon. The cost of the seized cargo was some $4,15 mil. The ship headed to Alexandria ETA Apr 10.
Mystery surrounding weapon cargo deepens
The mystery surrounding the "Ural" deepens. Mike Voitenko who is running the website "Maritime Bulletin", initially mentioned some problems that arose on Feb 9 during the brief crossing of the Ionian Sea between Greece and Italy, finding it atypical and strange that the ship was there while the port of destination was Douala. The ship sailed sharply to the south and approached the Libyan coast, where it cruised at low speed before setting sail for Tripoli, until finally, on Feb 13, the master decided to sail close to the Libyan coast before heading quickly to the port of Sfax. Tunisian customs officials were stunned by what they discovered on board the vessel: 24 containers loaded with infantry fighting vehicles, bulldozers, military uniforms, radios and satellite communication equipment. The crew explained the stopover was forced by a serious damage. The Tunisian authorities suspected the crew of involvement in terrorism. The Tunisian authorities decided to keep the vessel in detention because the cargo documents were tainted with strong suspicions and did not meet any of the requirements in force. They referred the case to the antiterrorist prosecutor's office. On Fe 20, the ship's crew attempted to contact representatives of the Russian Embassy in Tunisia, but was refused to do so. Media in the Middle East did not rule out the possibility of weapons being sent to Libya. The influential Russian blogger and political analyst Anatoly Nesmeyan, a great defender of Moscow's military interference in Syria, claimed that the "maneuvers near the Libyan coast were obviously suspect". It seemed possible that the route taken by the ship suggested that the recipient was either Khalifa Haftar or mercenaries waiting for military equipment, equipment or other useful tools of war, he said. "Given that the supply of weapons to Libya is illegal, the secret of such a smuggling mission is understandable". Officially, Russia remained silent on the case of the "Ural" with the exemption of a statement from her embassy in Tunisia on Feb 24, saying that the ship belonged to a Turkish company, named Akdeniz Roro. In its version the vessel was caught in a storm and asked to anchor at the Tunisian port of Sfax for repairs, saying that there were no Russian nationals on board. For now, the eyes were turned to the investigation conducted by the Customs and the Tunisian justice.
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