Published on •Updated
A Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain in the Black Sea was attacked by at least one drone and ultimately sank after catching fire on Monday, reportedly killing two crew members, wounding three others, while one is still missing, Romanian authorities said, as quoted by Euronews Romania.
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11 crew members were rescued by Romanian vessels and helicopters in a major rescue operation after the ship caught fire from the blasts, while the search continues for the missing crew member, some 20 miles from the Romanian shore.
According to Euronews Romania, the stricken cargo ship was identified as the Royad Mammadov, owned by Turkish company MG Shipping 5 and sailing under a Saint Kitts and Nevis flag.
It was last monitored about three hours before the attack, when it left the Ukrainian port of Ismail in the Odesa region, according to a maritime traffic monitoring service, navigating towards Ravenna, Italy.
Monday’s incident occurred within Romania’s exclusive economic zone, about 9 nautical miles from the Pescăruș offshore platform.
The head of Romania’s Free Navigators Union Adrian Mihalcioiu told Euronews Romania that, according to information made available to him, the ship was attacked with aerial and sea drones and that it was a commercial ship “which had nothing to do with the war.”
Three wounded sailors aged between 22 and 50 were airlifted to hospital in Romania’s largest port city of Constanta with multiple traumas but were stable and conscious, and were being cared for accordingly, a hospital spokesperson said.
Romanian authorities are yet to name a suspect for the attack, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed Russia for what he called a “horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn.”
In a statement on X, Zelenskyy said that Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were onboard the ship.
“Ukraine has repeatedly proposed concrete steps to de-escalate the situation and ensure security in the Black Sea. There have also been relevant proposals from third countries,” Zelenskyy said.
“Russia consistently chooses terror and sinking civilian vessels instead of normal maritime navigation. Pressure is needed to restore global food security. And everyone who is genuinely interested in this must help,” he added.
NATO member Turkey has repeatedly insisted to all parties involved in the war that safe shipping in the Black Sea, including towards the Bosphorus Strait, must be ensured.
The incident comes after a number of drone incursions towards Romania’s ports in the Black Sea, and after Romania’s airspace has been increasingly violated by Russian drones over the last months.
Countries along Europe’s eastern flank, including NATO member Romania, continue to be inundated with unmanned aerial vehicles.
In August, a fighter jet destroyed an explosive-laden maritime drone close to Europe’s largest offshore gas project in the Black Sea. It occurred hours after another drone entered Romania’s airspace and crashed near the Ukrainian border.
Romania’s President Nicuşor Dan then blamed Russia for the incident and condemned what he called an escalation of “irresponsible incidents” by Moscow.
Follow Euronews Romania for continuous breaking news coverage of this developing story.
