In the late afternoon of 1 March 2025, Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack on the port of Odessa, Ukraine, striking several port infrastructures and damaging the container ship Msc Levante F. Two port employees were injured, though no casualties were reported among the ship's crew. Ukrainian authorities have documented the consequences of the attack as part of an investigation into what they classify as a war crime under Ukrainian law (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Initial reports from the Ukrainian press indicate that the Msc Levante F, sailing under the Panamanian flag, suffered significant damage, including a fire on board. The container ship had entered the port on the morning of the same day. The attack also caused damage to the bulk carrier Super Sarkas, flying the flag of Sierra Leone, which was loaded with maize and soybeans for export.
According to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba, this marks the twenty-ninth civilian vessel damaged by Russian attacks since the beginning of the conflict. Despite this, the Ukrainian maritime corridor for exports has continued to operate, handling approximately 106 million tonnes of goods since its establishment, with nearly 70 million tonnes of grain shipments. This volume accounts for about four thousand individual ship movements.
The Msc Levante F, built in 2006 with a capacity of 1,114 TEU and equipped with two cranes, primarily operates in the Black Sea, calling at Turkish and Georgian ports. Before arriving in Odessa, it had departed from the Turkish port of Asyaport on 25 February. According to the Russian Telegram channel TalipoV, run by the blogger of the same name, the vessel had allegedly loaded drones and weapons in Turkey. The blogger further claimed that the container ship was struck by two missiles at 18:00. Kuleba refuted this assertion, stating that the vessel's cargo was strictly civilian.
