A bulk carrier was freed from the occupied Mariupol
11.11.2022 - 13:00
The Italian shipping company Fratelli Cosulich has returned one of its bulk carriers, which was blocked in Mariupol for almost 9 months.
The bulk carrier Tzarevna has left the port of the occupied city, despite threats that the vessel and its cargo will be “nationalized” by the self-proclaimed DNR, The Maritime Executive reports.
A bulk carrier with a deadweight of 21,470 tons arrived in Mariupol before the start of the war to load a batch of steel sheet from Azovstal. The ship with a crew of 20 people was supposed to go to the Italian port of Monfalcone.
But blocked in the war-torn city, Tzarevna found herself trapped. As a result of Russian shelling, the bulk carrier was damaged. In particular, the vessel received a crack in the hull. Fratelli Cosulich managed to repatriate 15 crew members, while five remained on board.
At the end of May, DNR terrorists announced their intention to seize the ships that remained in Mariupol and “nationalize” them along with the cargo. Then the owner of the ship, Augusto Kosulic, asked for help from the governments of Malta and Italy to get the bulker back.
In June, russian federation agreed to release the ship after receiving payment for “port services”. Such a “payment” turned out to be the entire cargo of the ship. The terrorists confiscated 12,000 steel plates worth $12 million.
Finally, on November 9, the ship left Mariupol and successfully crossed the Sea of Azov. Tzarevna is now on her way to Varna, where the bulker will be repaired following damage sustained during the bombardment of the city.
