A dry cargo ship that was blown up by a mine in the Danube Delta three years ago is up for auction

Dry cargo VYSSOS under the flag of Panama, which was blown up by a mine in the Danube Delta three years ago, was put up for auction for UAH 40 million.

The auction will be held on October 8, according to the system of electronic auctions of seized property (SETAM).

The VYSSOS motor ship was built in 2007. The length of the vessel is 111 m, width – 18 m, deadweight – 8,758 tons.

In December 2023, the ship blew up a mine at the entrance from the Black Sea to one of the straits of the Danube Delta, en route to the port of Izmail to load grain. There were 18 crew members on board – mostly citizens of Egypt, as well as two citizens of Turkey and three citizens of Ukraine.

The explosion was so strong that the ship’s stern was lifted above the water, and the bulk carrier was depowered. The ship lost speed and control, a fire broke out on the upper deck. According to crew members, the ship did not sink due to the quick and only correct reaction of the captain – he directed the badly damaged bulker to the nearest breakwater and ran it aground.

As previously reported by USM, the captain of the bulk carrier Vyssos, which came across a Russian sea mine near the Danube mouth of Bystre, appealed to the ITF with a complaint against the ship owner.