Two crew members died after a cargo ship part-owned by a Turkish company caught fire and sank in the Black Sea off Romania on Oct. 5, with Ukraine blaming a Russian drone attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two Russian drones had struck the ship, whose crew included Azerbaijani and Indian nationals. Romanian authorities did not immediately identify the cause of the incident.
The Royad Mammadov sank in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, about 30 nautical miles south of Sfantu Gheorghe, the Romanian Interior Ministry said. Romanian media reported that it was carrying grain from Ukraine to Italy.
Eleven crew members were rescued. Three were injured and evacuated by helicopter, a Romanian Naval Authority spokeswoman told AFP.
Coast Guard officers were alerted to the fire at around 11 a.m. A rescue operation involved coast guard vessels and a helicopter.
Türkiye’s Ambassador to Bucharest, Özgür Kıvanç Altan, confirmed that a Turkish company held a stake in the vessel.
“The ship is not Turkish-flagged and there are no Turkish citizens among the crew,” he told Anadolu Agency.
Altan described the incident as “sad and concerning” and said Türkiye supported security, stability and safe navigation in the Black Sea.
He said the embassy and Türkiye’s consulate in Constanta were in close contact with Romanian border police, and thanked the authorities for their swift rescue operation.
The sinking came amid diplomatic efforts to protect commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
Türkiye has sought a ceasefire to halt attacks on merchant vessels.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Oct. 4 that New Delhi was in talks with both Russia and Ukraine on shipping safety, grain and energy exports, and possible agreements to refrain from attacks.
He said India had become more involved in recent months in efforts to end the war, moving beyond calls for negotiations to direct discussions with both sides.
