A drone attack on the Turkish bulk carrier REYHAN SARI in the Black Sea resulted in one death and three injuries among the crew.
The Turkish-flagged bulk carrier REYHAN SARI was targeted by a drone attack in the Black Sea, resulting in one sailor's death and three injuries.
The Turkish-flagged bulk carrier REYHAN SARI, which was transporting coal from Russia's Taman Port to Trabzon, was attacked by an unmanned aerial vehicle in the early hours of July 22, 2026, in the Black Sea. Despite the damage, the ship managed to reach the open waters of Samsun using its own engines. Subsequent agency reports and accounts from an injured crew member indicate that one sailor lost his life and three others were injured. In the initial statement from the shipowner company, it was announced that two of the injured were evacuated, and one crew member, who could not enter his cabin, could not be reached. The exact coordinates and perpetrator of the attack have not yet been officially disclosed.
Another attack has been added to the list of assaults on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. The Turkish-flagged bulk carrier REYHAN SARI, owned by T and O Shipping Limited Company, was targeted by a drone while carrying a coal cargo from Russia's Taman Port to Trabzon.
According to information reported by Demirören News Agency, the ship departed from Taman Port around 01:00 on July 22. It was reported that three drones hit the area where the ship's living quarters and cabins are located. The same report noted that there were 22 Turkish crew members on board. Claims of three separate hits have not yet been confirmed by an official technical examination report.
The first official statement regarding the loss of life was cautious.
In the initial news reports following the incident, it was announced that one Turkish sailor had lost his life and three others were injured. However, in the shipowner company's first statement after the attack, it was confirmed that only two injured crew members had been evacuated by helicopter at that stage.
The company reported that due to the attack occurring at night and the significant damage to the relevant area, one crew member could not enter his cabin and could not be reached. Therefore, the death of this crew member was not officially declared in the initial company statement. Subsequent agency reports and the account of the injured crew member indicated that one person had died and the total number of injured was three.
Details regarding the identity, role, and retrieval of the body of the sailor reported to have died have not yet been included in a comprehensive official report made public. While some reports suggested that the personnel served in the engine room, the company's statement mentioning an inaccessible cabin indicates that the location of the incident and the manner of death need to be confirmed through an official investigation.
Injured sailor: 'The drone hit my cabin.'
The 21-year-old crew member Enes Torun, who was injured in the attack, recounted the moment of the incident after being treated in Samsun. Torun stated that he had gone to his cabin after his shift, saying, 'The drone hit my cabin. They pulled me out from under the rubble.'
Torun mentioned that a second explosion occurred while he was in the infirmary, causing severe damage on the deck. According to the injured sailor's account, two other people were also injured, and one crew member lost his life. This account became one of the main bases for the public information stating 'one dead, three injured.'
Two injured evacuated by helicopter to Samsun.
Upon the request for medical evacuation, the Coast Guard Black Sea Regional Command dispatched a helicopter and a boat to the area. The two injured were taken by helicopter from the ship and brought to Samsun.
One of the injured was transferred to Ondokuz Mayıs University Medical Faculty Hospital, while the other was sent to a public hospital in Samsun. The remaining crew members were reported to have stayed on the ship.
The shipowner company stated that the treatment processes of the injured were being monitored and that they were acting in coordination with relevant public institutions, international authorities, insurers, and other organizations.
Communication systems damaged.
In a statement made by T and O Shipping, it was noted that REYHAN SARI sustained damage as a result of the attack but did not lose its maneuvering and control capability. The ship continued its voyage and safely reached the open waters of Samsun.
The company reported that the ship's communication systems were damaged in the attack, making it difficult to establish continuous contact with the ship immediately after the incident and complicating the verification of the crew's condition in all aspects.
The statement emphasized that assessments should not be made based on unconfirmed information, and the company's priority was the safety of the crew, providing medical support to the injured, and clarifying all aspects of the incident.
Conflicting information regarding the exact location of the attack.
In a significant portion of the initial sector and agency reports, it was stated that the attack occurred at the exit of Taman Port or off the coast of Novorossiysk. However, some publications claimed that the incident took place in international waters off the coast of Samsun.
The shipowner company did not share specific coordinates in its statement. The company only confirmed that the attack occurred in the Black Sea and that the ship later reached the open waters of Samsun. Therefore, its presence in the open waters of Samsun does not necessarily mean that the attack also occurred in that region.
The exact coordinates are not just a detail on a map. It is important for determining which state's exclusive economic zone or search and rescue area the incident occurred in; for collecting evidence, the authority of the coastal state, the investigation by the flag state, and the application of international law.
The perpetrator of the attack has not yet been disclosed.
There is no verified official information regarding the type of drones used in the attack, their flight direction, the area from which they were launched, or the party that issued the attack order. No state or armed party has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.
Therefore, social media posts directly linking the attack to Russia, Ukraine, or another actor are currently unverified claims. Without identifying the perpetrator, making definitive judgments would shift from journalism to speculation.
The investigation is expected to examine the ship's voyage records, AIS and ECDIS data, VDR records, GMDSS and satellite communication logs, radar images, onboard camera footage, any found drone or ammunition fragments, and the direction and distribution of the damage.
Technical specifications of REYHAN SARI.
According to the records of the İMEAK Chamber of Shipping, REYHAN SARI is a bulk carrier registered under T and O Shipping Limited Company. The ship is registered in the Turkish International Ship Registry, with its port of registration being Istanbul.
The main information about the ship is as follows:
IMO number: 9543342
Call sign: TCA7486
Flag: Turkey
Ship type: Bulk carrier
Carrying capacity: 36,075 DWT
Gross tonnage: 23,072 GT
Net tonnage: 11,298 NT
Place of construction: South Korea
Date of construction: October 28, 2010
Main engine power: 10,540 BHP
Length: Approximately 178 meters
The General Directorate of Maritime Affairs had stated that the ship's length was 178 meters and its carrying capacity was 36,075 DWT during its registration in the Turkish International Ship Registry in 2023. The information regarding '140 meters in length and 17 meters in width' mentioned in some initial attack reports does not match the official record.
The safety of commercial vessels in the Black Sea is increasingly deteriorating.
The attack on REYHAN SARI is the latest link in a chain of incidents affecting commercial vessels and sailors in the Black Sea in recent weeks.
The Coast Guard Command had announced on June 5, 2026, that the Turkish-flagged fishing vessel DURU 67 was attacked and sank off the western coast of Crimea and Sevastopol. Initially, one of the five injured fishermen evacuated from the scene had lost his life.
On June 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that a Turkish-owned, Panama-flagged bulk carrier was attacked by a drone off the coast of Ukraine's Chornomorsk Port, injuring two Turkish citizens. The ministry emphasized that ensuring the navigation safety of civilian vessels in the Black Sea is among Turkey's top priorities and called on the parties to de-escalate tensions.
On July 15, two Filipino sailors were injured in an attack on the LPG tanker GAS AURA in Russia's Caucasus region. The tanker GAS NERO, which evacuated the injured, was later also attacked by a drone in the Black Sea. A fire that broke out in the tank at the front of the tanker was extinguished with the intervention of a tugboat dispatched under the coordination of the Samsun Port Authority, and the ship reached Trabzon for repairs.
The International Maritime Organization had reported just nine days before the REYHAN SARI attack that attacks on civilian commercial vessels in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov had increased again. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that these attacks jeopardize sailors, navigation safety, and global supply chains, calling on the parties in conflict to adhere to international law.
How will the attack be evaluated under international law?
Under international humanitarian law, commercial vessels are generally considered civilian objects. It is mandatory to distinguish between civilian objects and military targets. For an object to be considered a military target, it must make an effective contribution to military action, and its destruction must offer a concrete, direct military advantage.
Although there is no binding international treaty, the San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflicts at Sea, which is an important reference text of maritime warfare law, restricts the circumstances under which commercial vessels flying a neutral state flag can be attacked to very narrow conditions.
There is currently no official claim in the publicly disclosed information that REYHAN SARI has military target characteristics. However, to reach a definitive judgment on the legal nature of the attack, it is necessary to uncover the perpetrator, targeting data, the ship's exact location, transport and charter documents, possible warnings, and the connection of the attack to the conflict.
Until these data are obtained, it would be legally premature to definitively label the attack as a 'war crime' or to attribute it to a specific state. Conversely, determining that a civilian commercial vessel was deliberately struck despite not meeting the conditions of a military target could raise a serious violation of international law.
An official investigation and final statement are awaited.
The extent of the damage to the hull, living quarters, propulsion system, and communication devices of REYHAN SARI has not yet been detailed. There has also been no official information shared regarding the control and inspection process of the ship in the open waters of Samsun and whether the cargo will be delivered to Trabzon.
To clarify the final picture regarding the attack, the following points are expected to be elucidated:
The exact coordinates and time of the attack.
The number, type, and direction of the drones.
The definitive status of the deceased and injured crew members.
The scope of structural and technical damage on the ship.
The party that carried out or directed the attack.
Which institution will conduct the investigation by the flag state.
The role of the ship's cargo manifest, voyage, and charter information in the investigation.
As new statements are made by official institutions and the shipowner company regarding the incident, updates to the news are anticipated.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
