Two people died and 11 crew members were rescued after a fire engulfed a grain ship in the Black Sea off the Romanian coast, in an incident that Ukraine says was caused by a Russian drone strike.
Romania's interior ministry said rescuers recovered two bodies after the fire aboard the ship Royad Mammadov, which later sank. Eleven crew members were pulled to safety, one of them injured. The vessel was in waters outside Romania's territorial limits but within the country's exclusive economic zone when the blaze broke out.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the civilian ship had been hit by two Russian drones. "A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Türkiye. Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board," he wrote on social media. He confirmed that the ship's captain had been killed, with a second person initially unaccounted for before Romanian rescuers confirmed two deaths.
Romania itself has not commented on the cause of the fire, and Russian authorities had no immediate comment. An earlier daily bulletin from Russia's Defence Ministry said Russian forces had struck two cargo vessels.
A grain route under fire
The ship was Turkish-owned and flying under the flag of St Kitts & Nevis. It was carrying corn, had last docked at the Ukrainian port of Izmail and was heading to Ravenna, Italy, according to vessel-tracking data. Romanian media reported the incident occurred near an oil platform operated by OMV Petrom, which said the platform was operating normally.
NATO member Romania shares a 614-km land border with Ukraine. Since the war began, it has seen Russian drones breach its airspace and mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and energy routes.
Sources:
Reuters via ThePrint: Romania says two dead after fire on ship, Ukraine blames Russian drones
GMA News Online (Reuters): Romania says 2 dead after fire on ship in Black Sea; Ukraine blames Russian drones
Romania's interior ministry said rescuers recovered two bodies after the fire aboard the ship Royad Mammadov, which later sank. Eleven crew members were pulled to safety, one of them injured. The vessel was in waters outside Romania's territorial limits but within the country's exclusive economic zone when the blaze broke out.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the civilian ship had been hit by two Russian drones. "A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Türkiye. Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board," he wrote on social media. He confirmed that the ship's captain had been killed, with a second person initially unaccounted for before Romanian rescuers confirmed two deaths.
Romania itself has not commented on the cause of the fire, and Russian authorities had no immediate comment. An earlier daily bulletin from Russia's Defence Ministry said Russian forces had struck two cargo vessels.
A grain route under fire
The ship was Turkish-owned and flying under the flag of St Kitts & Nevis. It was carrying corn, had last docked at the Ukrainian port of Izmail and was heading to Ravenna, Italy, according to vessel-tracking data. Romanian media reported the incident occurred near an oil platform operated by OMV Petrom, which said the platform was operating normally.
NATO member Romania shares a 614-km land border with Ukraine. Since the war began, it has seen Russian drones breach its airspace and mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and energy routes.
Sources:
Reuters via ThePrint: Romania says two dead after fire on ship, Ukraine blames Russian drones
GMA News Online (Reuters): Romania says 2 dead after fire on ship in Black Sea; Ukraine blames Russian drones
