Two dead, Turkish ship sinks in Romania’s EEZ, reportedly after drone strike

Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said on October 5 that two people were dead and 11 rescued after a vessel caught fire and sank in the Black Sea in Romania’s exclusive economic zone.

Media reports said that the ship had caught fire after being struck by a Russian drone and identified the vessel as Turkish-flagged vessel Royad Mammadov, which was carrying grain.

The vessel reportedly was sailing from Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Izmail to Ravenna in Italy.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that it was carrying out a complex mission to rescue the crew of a ship that sank in the Black Sea.

Eleven crew members have been rescued. Two deceased persons have also been identified, the ministry said.

The helicopter of the General Aviation Inspectorate has evacuated, by winches, the injured people in order to provide emergency medical assistance.

The mission was continuing.

The ministry said that on October 5 at about 11am border police officers of the Coast Guard were informed by Martime Coordination Centre Constanța that a fire had occurred on board a commercial vessel, located in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, approximately 30 nautical miles south of the town of Sfântul Gheorghe.

The Maritime Coordination Centre Constanța launched a search and rescue operation for people in danger at sea, with the Coast Guard ship being designated as the on-site coordinator of search and rescue activities.

Border police, together with colleagues from the General Aviation Inspectorate, immediately took action to search and rescue the crew members.

(Screenshot of the rescue mission from the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs’s Facebook page)