2 killed, 11 injured in fire on commercial ship off Romania

Two crew members were killed and 11 others injured after a fire broke out aboard a commercial ship sailing in Romania’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, authorities said Monday.

Romania’s Interior Ministry said in a written statement that Coast Guard teams had been informed of a fire aboard a commercial vessel sailing in Romania’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.

The Romanian Naval Authority launched a search-and-rescue operation over the incident, which occurred outside the country’s territorial waters, with helicopters also joining the operation, the statement said.

Two crew members were found dead and 11 others were taken for medical treatment after the vessel began sinking following the fire, according to the statement.

Romanian media reported that the commercial ship was carrying grain from Ukraine to Italy, while some reports claimed that the vessel had been hit by an unmanned aerial vehicle.

'We attach importance to Black Sea security'

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Bucharest Ozgur Kivanc Altan told Anadolu that Türkiye supports security, stability, and navigational safety in the Black Sea.

“We are a country that supports security, stability and navigational safety in the Black Sea. We attach importance to Black Sea security, and we are making joint efforts for this,” Altan said.

“The ship is not Turkish-flagged and there are no Turkish citizens among the crew. It is a ship co-owned by a company from our country. In any case, it is a sad and concerning incident. I wish God’s mercy upon those who lost their lives,” he added.

Altan said the Turkish Embassy in Bucharest and Consulate General in the Romanian city of Constanta were in constant contact with Romania’s General Inspectorate of the Border Police.

He thanked Romanian authorities for carrying out a swift and professional search-and-rescue operation.