Ince-Inebolu

The "Ince Inebolu" sailed from Giran on June 25 at 10 p.m. after damage repairs and steel replacement works were carried out in the port as per class surveyor's recommendations. The ship had suffered serious structural damages, holes and dents to port side shell plating above the waterline and to the main deck. It had been towed to Gizan on May 13. After competion of repairs, the departure permission was issued by the relevant classification society and local maritime authority.

On May 21 Col. Turki al-Maliki, a spokesperson for the Saudi military coalition in Yemen, confirmed that the recent explosion aboard the "Ince Inebolu" was not caused by explosive materials smuggled aboard. The explosion pattern otherwise indicated that the explosion occurred inside the top tank number 3, which caused local structural damage and a large hole in the hull. The crew had observed a boat on radar before the attack. The boat approached the bulkcarrier about four miles and returned after the explosion. Maliki prosecutor Yemes suspected that Houthi rebels carried out the attack. Saudi forces responded to the accident and brought the ship to the port of Gizan. No person was injured in the explosion. The ship operator Ince Shipping has always claimed that the explosion was the result of a missile penetrating through the outermost hull and then detonating in an inner space. The "Ince Inebolu" has already been inspected by U.N. Verification, Inspection and Monitoring (UNVIM), a process to detect smuggling of weapons and explosives. The ship transported a cargo of Russian wheat for delivery in the port of Saleef.

The explosion last week on board the "Ince Inebolu" was caused by a missile attack off Saleef, the ship's owner, the Turkish conglomerate, Ince Shipping Group, considered after investigating the damage on the ship. The missile hit the ship's port side and pierced the cargo hold number 3 before it exploded inside the ship, causing damage to the hull. After the explosion, the ship was brought to the port of Gizan with the help of Saudi Arabian naval vessels. The ship was waiting to deliver a cargo of Russian grain. At that time, the ship had received approval from UN employees to continue.