Drones attack Turkish grain cargo ship off Romanian coast, killing captain
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Preparation for a rescue operation off the coast of Romania, October 5 (Photo: Romanian Interior Ministry/Handout via REUTERS)
A drone struck the Turkish grain ship Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea near Romania’s coast on Oct. 5, prompting Romanian authorities to launch a rescue operation, Ziua de Constanța reported on Oct. 5.
A drone attacked a Turkish vessel carrying grain near the Pescarus gas platform, also known as Platform 7, Romanian outlet Ziua de Constanța reported. The incident occurred outside Romanian territorial waters, according to the Romanian Naval Authority. It remains unclear who launched the drone.
Reports on the location of the attack vary. According to the outlet, the vessel was about 20 nautical miles from shore. The Romanian Coast Guard, however, said the attack occurred about 9 nautical miles southeast of the platform.
Reports on casualties also remain unclear. The Romanian Naval Authority initially said the ship’s captain had been injured and 13 crew members were missing. It later emerged that there were 13 people on board in total.
Sources cited by the outlet said rescuers pulled 10 sailors from the water and that the vessel could sink. The latest update said three people were injured.
Romania dispatched the rescue vessels Apollo, Artemis and Ares to assist the crew. The Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea received a request from the maritime coordination center at 10:37 a.m., and the first rescue vessel departed for the scene two minutes later. A helicopter was also sent to the site of the fire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the vessel was attacked by two Russian drones. According to him, the captain was killed and 11 crew members were rescued, including one who was injured, while the fate of one other person remained unknown. Zelenskyy said the Turkish-owned vessel was carrying corn and its crew included citizens of Azerbaijan and India.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine had repeatedly proposed measures to de-escalate the situation in the Black Sea and that third countries had made similar proposals.
“But Russia consistently chooses terror and the sinking of civilian vessels instead of normal navigation,” he said.
The president called for increased pressure on Moscow to restore global food security.
Russia significantly stepped up attacks on Ukrainian ports and civilian vessels in July. A strike on the Golden Leo killed 10 people, while the Gas Lisbon tanker was attacked off the Romanian coast. Some shipping companies subsequently suspended operations at Odesa ports.
In July alone, Ukraine recorded 35 attacks on vessels in ports, 22 attacks on ships at sea and 67 strikes on port infrastructure.
In August, Kyiv proposed through a third party that Russia halt attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea, but Moscow rejected the proposal. On Aug. 31, Turkey developed a plan for the safe transport of grain by sea and discussed it with Ukraine and Russia.
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