Turkish vessel was inspected before continuing its journey to Ukraine as ships treated as arms smugglers following collapse of grain deal
A Russian warship fired warning shots as it intercepted a cargo ship sailing towards Ukraine, the first time it has done so since a grain deal collapsed last month.
Russia’s ministry of defence said that the Vasily Bykov fired its machine gun to force the Sukru Okan to stall in the Black Sea and then boarded it with a naval helicopter.
“After the completion of the work of the inspection team on board the Sukru Okan, the ship continued to move to the port of Izmail,” it said. Izmail is a Ukrainian port on the Danube River.
The Sukru Okan is a 34-year-old dry cargo ship that is named after a Turkish admiral. Maritime data showed that although it sails under the flag of Palau, a Pacific Island nation, the Sukru Okan is based in Istanbul and is operated by a Turkish company. Civilian cargo ships often sail under different flags to reduce costs and red tape.