On September 11, the 27,239 dwt bulker Aya, which was transporting Ukrainian grain to Egypt, was damaged on its port side, including a cargo hold and a crane, after being hit by a missile.
The attack was carried out by a Russian Tu-22 Tupolev bomber, which fired an AS-4 Kitchen anti-ship missile. However, the missile did not detonate, likely due to its age, which prevented more severe damage. According to British officials, the ship was probably not the intended target.
“There is a realistic possibility that the pilots mistakenly identified the Aya as their target in haste, seeking to leave the area quickly to avoid Ukrainian surface-to-air missiles,” UK officials noted, while not specifying what the actual target may have been.
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack and called on Russia to stop targeting commercial vessels and respect the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea.
The Aya was 55 kilometers from the Romanian commune of Sfântu Gheorghe, within Romania's exclusive economic zone, when the incident occurred. The attack marks the first instance of a merchant ship being hit in the Black Sea this year.
Naval Situation in the Black Sea
The Black Sea is a small, enclosed body of water bordered by Turkey to the south, Bulgaria and Romania to the west, Georgia to the east, and Ukraine and Russia to the north.
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia's naval capabilities are confined to the Black Sea, limiting its ability to project power beyond the region. Its only current opportunity to extend naval reach is by cooperating with China for access to Africa and the Indian Ocean, though China would control the terms of such an arrangement. Even a potential Russian victory on land in Ukraine will not compensate for its ongoing challenges in projecting maritime power independently.
