Cargill-Hired Wheat Ship Sailing in Black Sea Damaged by Blast

A ship hired by agricultural giant Cargill Inc. was damaged by an explosion while sailing from a Ukrainian port in the Black Sea late on Thursday, a person familiar with the matter said.

The cause of the damage was not immediately confirmed, but the person said the incident was not initiated on board. The vessel, which was carrying a cargo of wheat, wasn’t severely damaged and is now heading to Constanta in Romania for further inspection.

The incident is another reminder of the risks of sailing via Ukraine’s temporary grain corridor, coming days after another vessel was hit by a Russian missile strike. Still, ships continued to transport commodities from deep-sea ports in Greater Odesa after that attack.

The person with knowledge of the matter said all crew members were safe and that the vessel was able to sail under its own power to the Romanian port.

Despite the war, Ukraine is harvesting bigger-than-expected crops. The blast highlights the challenges of getting those grains to the global market.

Cargill didn’t respond to a request for comment. Ukraine’s infrastructure ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Article originally taken from Bloomburg.com