Grain ship sinks off Romania, killing 2, as Zelensky blames Russian drones
A Turkish-owned ship carrying Ukrainian corn caught fire and sank in the Black Sea off Romania on Monday, killing two crew members. Romanian officials rescued 11 sailors but have not said what caused the fire. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said two Russian drones struck the ship.
A grain ship caught fire and sank in the Black Sea off Romania on Monday, killing two of its 13 crew members. Romania's Interior Ministry said 11 sailors were rescued. The ship went down about 30 nautical miles south of the fishing port of Sfântu Gheorghe. That is inside Romania's economic zone but outside its territorial waters, AFP and the Kyiv Post reported.
The Romanian Naval Authority named the ship as the Royad Mammadov, a cargo vessel about 140 meters long. It flew the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis, but shipping records list a Turkish company as its owner, the Kyiv Post said. Three crew members were hurt and flown out by helicopter, a naval spokesperson told AFP. The coast guard got the first report of a fire at about 11 a.m. local time.
Romania has not said what caused the fire. Asked by AFP whether a drone was involved, the defense ministry did not reply. Romanian media reported that one or more drones hit the ship near the Pescăruș offshore oil and gas platform. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, was blunt. "A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn," he wrote on X. He said Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board and that the captain was killed. Lloyd's List reported that the captain was flown out for treatment.
The ship left the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail fully loaded on Sept. 18 and was headed for Ravenna, Italy, AFP reported, citing Bloomberg tracking data.
Some background: the Black Sea has become a busy front in the Russia-Ukraine war. Turkey's Chamber of Maritime Commerce said last month that 226 civilian and commercial ships have been attacked there since the war began, most of them this year, AFP reported. Romania, a NATO member, shares a 614-kilometer border with Ukraine. It has found Russian drones in its airspace and mines drifting off its coast, The Independent reported. In August, a Romanian F-16 shot down a sea drone near an offshore gas project, AFP said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told the UN General Assembly that the attacks on shipping are "unacceptable."
The route matters for food prices around the world. Russia and Ukraine normally account for more than a quarter of global wheat trade, the Kyiv Post said.
What we know: The Royad Mammadov sank off Romania, two crew members died and 11 were rescued.
What we don't: What started the fire, and whether Romania will confirm a drone strike.
Where outlets agree AFP, the Kyiv Post and The Independent all report that two crew members died and 11 were rescued after the Royad Mammadov caught fire and sank off Romania.
Where they differ Ukraine's president says two Russian drones struck the ship, while Romanian officials have confirmed only a fire and have not named a cause.