(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine attacked an oil tanker it said was supplying Russian forces and warned that ports, including commodity hubs, may be at risk in the latest escalation in the area around the Black Sea.
The hull of the tanker was pierced after an attack by a sea drone in the Kerch Strait, Russia's Federal River and Marine Transportation Agency said on Telegram. There were no casualties and the vessel is still afloat, the agency said. Ukraine's state security service was responsible for the drone strike, according to a Ukrainian official familiar with the matter.
The attack — the first case of a vessel carrying commodities in the Black Sea being targeted by Kyiv's forces — highlights the growing risk to the flow of raw materials through the key shipping route. Moscow is seeking to further cripple Ukraine's ability to export grains, while Kyiv has threatened commensurate action against Russia.
Ukraine's state sea and river transport service also issued a warning on Saturday that six Russian ports including commodity hubs Novorossiysk, Tuapse and Taman are part of the “war risk area” until further notice.
Novorossiysk in the Black Sea was closed for several hours on Friday after a Ukrainian drone attack on a naval vessel, the first time that operations at the key shipment point for oil and grains have been disrupted by the war. Last month explosions damaged the Kerch Strait bridge which links Russia-annexed Crimea to Russia's Krasnodar region.
Logical Step
Any explosions or damage to Russian ships or the bridge “are an absolutely logical and effective step in relation to the enemy.” Ukraine's state security service chief Vasyl Malyuk said on Saturday. He did not say whether the oil tanker had been hit by Ukraine.
The Russian oil vessel, called the ‘Sig' was being assisted by two tug boats after its engine compartment was damaged, the River and Marine Transportation Agency said.
The Sig was sanctioned earlier by the US for participating in a “sanctions evasion scheme” to enable the “delivery of jet fuel to Russian forces operating in Syria,” according to a statement from the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control .
Ships sail from the Black Sea through the Kerch strait to the Sea of Azov and onward to ports in Russia and parts of Ukraine that are occupied by Russia. Kavkaz anchorage on the Kerch strait is key for Russian exports of grains, while Russia ships commodities from oil to fertilizers and coal through the Black Sea. Russia had already restricted navigation through the strait.
Tass had earlier reported that explosions were heard near the bridge connecting Russia to Crimea across the Kerch Strait.
--With assistance from Eduard Gismatullin and Shiyin Chen.
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