Panama Monitoring Attack on Its Ship in Odesa Port

Last March, Panama's maritime authorities reported incidents with drones and missiles in ports in Russia and Ukraine that affected two Panamanian-flagged vessels, a bulk carrier and a container ship. On Saturday, the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) reported that a Panamanian-flagged vessel was attacked by a "military drone" while docked in the port of Odesa, Ukraine, with no reported injuries. The authority stated it is aware of and monitoring the incident. "The Panama Maritime Authority as a state entity, in its capacity as responsible for the Panama Ship Registry, communicates that it is aware of and monitoring the incident that has affected a vessel under its flag," it said in a brief statement from the maritime entity. Thus, based on preliminary information received by the Directorate General of Merchant Marine, the maritime authority detailed that "the passenger/ro-ro vessel was attacked by a military drone while docked in the port of Odesa, Ukraine," without specifying when the incident occurred. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reported on Saturday that Russia attacked the country with more than 450 suicide drones and 30 missiles of various types the previous night, mainly in the southern Odesa region, but also in Dnipropetrovsk (east) and Cherkasy (center). The Panamanian merchant registry is one of the largest in the world with more than 8,806 vessels registered and 249.1 million gross tons, according to AMP data. The main blow was once again directed against the Ukrainian energy sector, especially in the south and the Odesa region. "Fortunately, no injuries were reported," while the authority "has immediately activated its protocols for these cases through the relevant offices".