Two dead, 11 rescued after drone hits ship near Romanian platform
A Turkish-flagged grain ship was hit by a drone near Romania's Pescăruș platform in the Black Sea on Monday, officials and reports say.
Also in:Română
A ship was hit by a drone near Romania's Pescăruș platform in the Black Sea on Monday, triggering a fire and a rescue operation in which two crew members died and 11 were rescued, Digi24 reported.
The vessel, a Turkish ship carrying grain, had left the Ukrainian port of Ismail and was bound for a port in Italy when it was struck, Digi24 reported. It was abandoned by its crew after the fire and a failure of its technical systems left it unable to manoeuvre, Mediafax reported.
Romania's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Constanța said it was alerted to the incident at around 11am and sent the rescue vessels SAR Apollo and SAR Ares to the scene, Mediafax reported. The Coast Guard put the ship's position at about nine nautical miles southeast of the Pescăruș platform, while other reports placed the incident roughly 20 nautical miles from shore.
Romania's Naval Authority initially said 13 crew members of the ship, which it named as the Royad Mammadov, were missing and that the captain had been injured, Știripesurse reported. The same outlet's later report, citing the rescue operation, said 11 of the crew were rescued and two had died, accounting for all 13.
The stricken vessel drifted south from Romania's exclusive economic zone towards Bulgaria's under the pull of sea currents, Mediafax reported. Bulgarian naval forces separately located a drifting cargo vessel about 40 kilometres east of Cape Shabla, roughly six kilometres off the Bulgarian coast and 26 kilometres from Vama Veche, and issued a warning to shipping in the area about the unmanned, uncontrolled vessel, Mediafax reported.
What we know
- 2+ outlets · Mediafax, Știripesurse A ship was hit by a drone near Romania's Pescăruș platform in the Black Sea on Monday; a fire followed, and the vessel lost the ability to manoeuvre.
- Official · Romania's Naval Authority Of the 13 crew, two died and 11 were rescued, Digi24 reported; the ship's captain was among the injured, Romania's Naval Authority said.
- Official · Romania's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Rescue vessels SAR Apollo and SAR Ares were sent to the scene by Romania's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Constanța.
- Official · Bulgaria's navy The abandoned vessel drifted toward Bulgaria's waters; Bulgaria's navy issued a warning to shipping in the area.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed The ship's name (Royad Mammadov, per Romania's Naval Authority) has not been confirmed by all outlets; Digi24 did not name the vessel.
- Unconfirmed Whether the vessel later located drifting off Cape Shabla, Bulgaria, is the same ship hit near the Pescăruș platform has not been confirmed.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
The Black Sea has become a frequent target of drone strikes since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with vessels, ports and offshore platforms repeatedly hit near Ukrainian, Romanian and Bulgarian waters. An attack on a commercial ship near a Romanian platform, a NATO and EU member state, shows the risk to merchant shipping passing close to the war zone, including vessels, like this one, that were not travelling to or from a Ukrainian port under military cargo.
Romania and Bulgaria have both reported drifting, damaged vessels in their waters before, and the cross-border nature of Monday's incident, with the stricken ship moving from Romanian into Bulgarian waters, shows how a single strike can draw in the response of more than one NATO country's coast guard and navy.
Sources
Reported by 5 reports from 5 independent outlets in 3 countries.
- Mediafax: Ship hit by drone near a Romanian platform in the Black Sea
- Știripesurse: Search and rescue operation underway in Black Sea after ship fire; 13 sailors missing
- Kommersant: Сухогруз затонул в Черном море после атаки БПЛА у берегов Румынии
- La Razón: Dos muertos y 11 rescatados tras incendiarse un carguero con cereales ante la costa rumana
- Digi24: Misiune de salvare în zona Platformei Pescăruș. O navă turcească cu cereale a fost lovită de o dronă: 2 morți și 11 răniți
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- How many people were on the ship hit near the Romanian platform?
- Thirteen crew members were aboard; two died and 11 were rescued, according to Digi24.
- Where did the attack happen?
- Near Romania's Pescăruș platform in the Black Sea, roughly 9 to 20 nautical miles from shore depending on the source.
- What happened to the ship afterwards?
- It was abandoned by its crew and drifted from Romanian waters toward Bulgaria, prompting a navigational warning from Bulgaria's navy.
This article was written with AI assistance from 5 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.