A massive fire broke out aboard a Turkish-owned Panama-flagged passenger/ro-ro ship on Friday, following an attack on Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port.

Türkiye’s foreign ministry warned Friday that the damage to a ship owned by a Turkish company after an attack on Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port highlights the growing risks to maritime security in the Black Sea.

In a written statement, the ministry said a ship belonging to a Turkish company was damaged in an attack carried out earlier Friday on the Ukrainian port.

“We once again underline the importance of urgently ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and reiterate the necessity of an arrangement whereby the parties suspend attacks targeting the safety of navigation as well as each other’s energy and port infrastructure in order to prevent escalation in the Black Sea,” the ministry said.

According to initial information, all crew members and truck drivers on board the vessel were safely evacuated and no Turkish citizens were harmed, the statement said. Türkiye’s Consulate-General in Odesa is closely monitoring developments and providing necessary assistance to citizens, it added.

The ministry said the incident highlights the risks posed by the continued expansion of the Russia-Ukraine war into the Black Sea, reiterating Türkiye’s previously recorded concerns over maritime safety and freedom of navigation.

The foreign ministry called for an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia and emphasized the necessity of an arrangement whereby the parties suspend attacks targeting the safety of navigation as well as each other’s energy and port infrastructure in order to prevent escalation in the Black Sea.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried the attack, saying it was another sign Russians aren’t interested in peace.

While condemning a series of missile attacks that Russia had carried out on the Odesa region the night before, the Ukrainian leader blamed Moscow for targeting the civilian Turkish ship, saying it “could not have any military meaning.”

“Today’s Russian strike, like many others before it, had no – and could have no – military purpose whatsoever,” the Ukrainian leader stated on X. “A civilian vessel in the port of Chornomorsk was damaged. This once again proves that the Russians not only refuse to take the current opportunity for diplomacy seriously enough, but are also continuing the war aimed precisely at destroying normal life in Ukraine.”

The Ukrainian president posted photos on X which showed a large fire burning aboard the ship, with firefighters tackling the blaze.

Video footage of the attack’s aftermath, which was shared on Zelenskyy’s X account, showed the vessel engulfed in flames and thick fumes issuing from most of its windows.

The incident comes as Ukraine and Russia escalate attacks tied to maritime traffic in the Black Sea.

Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened recently that Moscow may consider striking the ships of countries backing Ukraine if attacks on Russia’s tanker fleet continue.

He said Russia would intensify strikes on port infrastructure and vessels that enter Ukrainian ports and would take measures against ships of countries that help Ukraine.

His remarks followed a string of hits on tankers off the coast of Türkiye tied to Russia’s fleet which have been linked to Ukraine.

Putin expressed hope that Russia’s countermeasures would force the authorities in Kiev to reconsider the logic of continuing these attacks.

Turkey has sought to maintain relations with the two warring countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

During a meeting between Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Peace and Trust: Unity of Goals for a Sustainable Future International Forum, the Turkish side stressed that progress could be achieved between Ukraine and Russia in areas that would bring practical benefits to both sides.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump appears to have grown frustrated by the slow progress his administration is making in securing a deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.

Despite Washington’s recent diplomatic push, Kyiv and Moscow have rejected key parts of the Trump administration’s proposal.

Erdogan expressed heightened concern over the deteriorating security environment in the Black Sea as the Russia-Ukraine war intensifies. He pointed to a recent attack on two tankers in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone and called the incident a “worrying escalation” in the Russia-Ukraine war that threatens navigational safety in the Black Sea.

Turkish president emphasized that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has put navigational safety in the Black Sea at risk.

He highlighted the issue given the targeting of vessels within Turkey’s exclusive economic zone, noting that Ankara has issued the necessary warnings to all parties involved. Safeguarding maritime routes in the Black Sea, he said, remains essential for regional stability, trade, and broader security.