A Turkish commercial ship sank in Romanian waters in the Black Sea, resulting in two fatalities and one injury. Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, stated that this incident was caused by an attack from Russian drones.
Incident Details
The Romanian Ministry of Interior reported that around 11 AM local time (14:00 UTC), the country's coast guard was alerted to a fire incident on a commercial ship located in Romania's exclusive economic zone. The ship was situated approximately 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) south of the Sfântu Gheorghe area.
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The Romanian Ministry of Interior added that eleven crew members were rescued and the bodies of two individuals were recovered. A helicopter was dispatched to the scene to assist the injured. However, officials have yet to identify the cause of the fire, but Romanian media reported that the ship was carrying a cargo of grain and was damaged due to a drone attack.
Ukraine's Reaction
Zelensky wrote on social media: "A horrific attack by two Russian drones has been carried out on a civilian ship in neutral waters that was carrying grain and belonged to Turkey. Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were also on board this ship." He also added that unfortunately, the ship's captain lost his life and the fate of another individual is still under investigation.
The Ukrainian government has stated that it has repeatedly attempted to take measures to reduce tensions in the Black Sea, but Russia has consistently chosen terrorism and sinking civilian ships over normal navigation.
The Black Sea is an important trade route for exporting Ukrainian grain to other parts of the world, and since the onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, security concerns in this waterway have increased.
In recent weeks, more war-related objects have been found in the Black Sea, especially in the waters of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, which analysts predict will continue.
This incident is the latest occurrence in Romanian waters. In August, a Romanian F-16 fighter jet shot down a maritime drone near a gas project in the Black Sea. Two months prior, a Ukrainian maritime drone exploded in the port of Constanța in the Romanian Black Sea, and Ukraine reported that this drone had gone off course due to Russian electronic interference.
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