Dredging Vessel Explodes on Danube, Three People Killed

An explosion occurred on a dredging vessel, killing three workers and injuring others.

This was reported by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority.

The vessel belongs to the Delta-Lotsman branch of the state enterprise Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority. The incident occurred on the evening of July 23 at the mouth of the Bystre.

There were 11 crew members on board. The explosion killed three USPA employees. The other crew members were injured and hospitalized.

Relevant services are working at the scene, the circumstances of the incident are being investigated. According to USPA, the families of the victims will receive the necessary support.

Due to the incident, the sea access channel of the Bystre mouth was temporarily closed for shipping. Vessels are currently moving to and from the Danube region’s ports via the Sulyn Canal.

A dredger is a specialized floating vessel designed to carry out dredging, dredging and mining operations at the bottom of water bodies.

Its main function is to take soil from the bottom using special equipment and then transport or unload it to the shore or dump it.

Andriy Klymenko, editor-in-chief of BlackSeaNews and head of the Institute for Strategic Black Sea Studies, suggested that the explosion could have been caused by a mine.

“The mouth of the Bystre is Vilkovo. Three civilian sailors were killed. The other eight are in hospital. Most likely, the ship hit a mine,” noted Klymenko.

In Liutyi, 5 Russian ships hit mines from Ukrainian naval drones.