The Royad Mammadov sank off Romania after a fire; 11 crew rescued, 2 died. Ukraine claims it was struck by Russian drones.
The cargo ship named Royad Mammadov, which caught fire off the coast of Romania, sank. Of the 13 people on board, 11 were rescued, while two lost their lives. Ukraine announced that the ship was struck by Russian drones; Romanian authorities have not confirmed the cause of the fire.
The Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged general cargo ship Royad Mammadov sank on October 5, 2026, following a fire that broke out in Romania's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that as a result of search and rescue operations, 11 crew members were rescued, and the bodies of two individuals were recovered.
The alert was received at 11:00 AM.
The Romanian Coast Guard acted upon an alert transmitted by the Constanța Maritime Rescue Coordination Center at approximately 11:00 AM local time on October 5. It was stated that the ship was located about 30 nautical miles south of Sfântu Gheorghe.
The coast guard vessel dispatched to the area coordinated the rescue efforts. A helicopter from the Romanian General Aviation Inspectorate also participated in the evacuation of the injured crew members. The injured were airlifted from the area to receive urgent medical assistance.
Ukraine's statement on the drone attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that the Turkish-owned, corn-laden ship was targeted by two Russian unmanned aerial vehicles. Zelensky noted that there were citizens of Azerbaijan and India on board, and he announced that the captain had lost his life.
Romanian authorities, however, did not confirm the cause of the fire. No initial statement has been made by Russia regarding the incident.
The ship was en route from Izmail to Italy.
According to ship tracking data, the Royad Mammadov had departed from Ukraine's Izmail Port and was heading towards Italy's Ravenna Port.
In the incident where 11 of the 13 people on board were rescued and two lost their lives, the cargo ship sank following the fire.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
