A bulker that weathered the Russian occupation of Mariupol has collided with a Turkish freighter in the Kattegat, according to flag state officials.
The Bulgarian-managed Tzarevna ("Princess") was under way between Jutland and Sweden on Thursday night, bound for St. Petersburg. At about 2230 hours, it was in collision with the Erdogan Bey, a 50,000 dwt Turkish freighter. No injuries or pollution were reported, and an investigation into the cause of the casualty is under way, led by Danish authorities.
The Tzarevna's operator told Bulgarian industry outlet maritime.bg that little damage occurred in the collision; however, a Danish Armed Forces spokesperson reported that Tsarevna's bow had been holed. The ship has gone to anchor just off Aarhus.
In March 2022, Tzarevna was caught in the port of Mariupol when Russian forces took the town, and she and her crew were held by Russian-aligned separatists. At the time, Italian shipowner Fratelli Cosulich told local media that the Russian-backed Donetsk Republic forces had made an offer to buy the ship, but "at a ridiculous value" that amounted to "blackmail." At the time, managing director Augusto Cosulich told Il Giornale that "the news is that the Russians are taking everything, ship and cargo."
The vessel was released in November 2022 and departed, though the crew reportedly had to offload their 15,000-tonne cargo of Ukrainian steel before sailing.
source: www.maritime-executive.com
