Ship hit off Constanța, possibly by a drone: one sailor dead, three missing
The Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv got into trouble 13 nautical miles off Constanța, just outside Romanian waters. Nine of its 13 crew were rescued, one was found dead and three are missing.
A large search and rescue operation is under way in the Black Sea after a foreign-flagged merchant ship got into trouble about 13 nautical miles off Constanța, just outside Romania's territorial waters. Romanian media report that the vessel was probably struck by a drone and that the crew reported a fire on board before sending an SOS. The authorities have not yet officially confirmed what hit the ship.
The Romanian Naval Authority said its Maritime Coordination Centre was alerted at around 10:00 local time on Friday about the ship Khoryv. There were 13 crew members on board: 10 Ukrainian citizens and three Azerbaijani citizens. According to the VesselFinder tracking platform, the Khoryv is an ore and oil carrier sailing under the flag of the Comoros.
Vessels from the Romanian Agency for the Rescue of Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM) and the Interior Ministry were sent to the area. By late morning they had pulled nine people out of the water alive and recovered the body of one sailor. The search for the three missing crew members is continuing. Bad weather, heavy rain and poor visibility mean a helicopter cannot be used; a Black Hawk was requested but could not take off.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on merchant ships in the western Black Sea. It comes shortly after Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence described Russian attacks on commercial vessels as a security crisis with immediate implications. About ten days ago, another Comoros-flagged ship was reportedly hit by drones near Sulina.