Ukraine Detains Cameron-flagged Vessel on the Danube River

Ukraine has detained the Usko Mfu vessel on the Danube River. The vessel entered Ukrainian waters after a trip to the occupied Sevastopol.

The Lloyd’s List reported that the Cameroon-flagged vessel was arrested by a court order and is currently in the port of Reni in the Odesa region.

According to the report, “authorities arrested the cargo ship while it was sailing across the Danube River, accusing it of illegally crossing the national border of Ukraine and transporting cargo to and from Russian-occupied Sevastopol.”

The vessel’s agent and broker claim that the Usko Mfu was intercepted by a military boat while in Romanian waters. The Danube, being a narrow waterway, means that the specific section where Usko Mfu was sailing borders both Romania and Ukraine.

“Lloyd’s List Intelligence’s analysis of the intelligence shows that the Usko Mfu passed between Ukrainian and Romanian waters as it headed downstream,” the publication said.

The vessel was searched and forbidden to leave. It is reported that the vessel is loaded with barley, and its destination is the city of Souda in Greece.

Between May 22 and June 5, the captain turned off the automatic identification system, which meant that the ship’s movement was not tracked on online maps.

Due to satellite images, it became known that at that time, the Usko Mfu made a call near Kamishova Bay in Sevastopol.

In November 2023, this vessel was also involved in the illegal export of grain from Crimea.

Ukrainian law enforcement bodies told the publication that they had been following the Usko Mfu for a long time, as it had repeatedly violated the law on the inadmissibility of crossing the state border in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

The request for arrest was filed by the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.

In 2023, information about a vessel used by Russians to export grain from occupied Mariupol also emerged.