The office of Danica Crewing Specialists in Odesa, Ukraine, has been damaged in a Russian rocket attack.
TradeWinds was told the incident happened overnight on Tuesday/Wednesday.
“All staff are unhurt but obviously it is shocking for the entire company,” a spokesperson said.
The crewing agency’s chief executive, Henrik Jensen, has an apartment in the building.
Danica specialises in supplying Ukrainian and Eastern European seafarers.
Its other offices, including its Hamburg headquarters and a new operational centre in Cyprus, are now supporting the Ukrainian team and clients.
Jensen said in a LinkedIn post: “During the night, Odesa suffered a severe missile attack by Russia. The target of the attack was in the same block as our office, with some of the missiles hitting the neighbouring buildings.”
A photo shows the building next to Danica’s office and a residential block behind with severe damage.
“Our office building, 100 metres away, also suffered damage with windows blown in and ceilings falling,” said Jensen, who was in Hamburg at the time.
“I am relieved that all our staff members are safe and unhurt.”
Brave staff carry on working
Danica team members in Odesa are not able to attend the office, but “our brave Ukrainian staff continue to perform their duties from home without interruption”, he added.
Jensen thanked shipowners, seafarers, partners and friends for the many supportive calls he received on Wednesday.
“My sincere deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this attack. My thoughts during these difficult times are with our staff in Ukraine, our seafarers, my neighbours and all citizens of Odesa,” he added.
