Ukraine has seized a Turkish cargo ship on the Danube. It was allegedly being used by Russia to steal grain from the Crimean peninsula.
The captain of the ship is in custody while investigations continue. He faces up to five years in prison. The captain is a man who has so far only been identified as an Azerbaijani citizen. The accusation is that he entered and left the restricted area of Crimea without authorisation. The nationality of the other twelve crew members is not known.
According to the Ukrainian state security service, the crew of the ship carried out orders to transport the grain away and sell it for Russia.
Freighter with a long series of safety deficiencies
The general cargo vessel bears the name “Usko Mfu” and is registered in Cameroon. It has a length of 94 m, a width of 13 m and 2,850 dwt. It was built in 1982 and has already been registered in several countries. Since 1999, it has undergone more than 40 inspections, of which no violations were found only twice.
According to the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office, the ship reported on 2 July that it was on its way to Moldova. The Ukrainian navy intercepted it at the port of Reni and towed it to Odessa. Officials were reportedly “surprised” that the freighter had dared to enter the Danube given its history.
The State Security Service of Ukraine claims that the ship “repeatedly docked in the seaport of Sevastopol to load looted agricultural products”. These were then transported to the Middle East, where the crew sold them for the benefit of Russia.
Illegal grain trade: Ukraine seizes ship for the first time
The “Usko Mfu” is said to have arrived in Sevastopol in November 2023 and stolen over 3,000 tons of grain. In order to conceal its activities, the ship had switched off its AIS transmissions. At the end of May 2024, the freighter returned from Turkey to unload cargo – again with its signal switched off.
State security told Reuters that the captain is said to have recorded “unreliable information” about the ship’s route and destination ports in the logs.
Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of stealing grain and other goods from occupied regions. However, this is the first time it has been able to detain a ship. According to Reuters, 21 ships have already been declared detained in absentia for being involved in the illegal grain trade.
