Second Black Sea shipping incident in days as cargo vessel damaged near Romania's coast

A Liberia-flagged cargo ship carrying coal to Ukraine was damaged in Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea on the night of July 23 to 24, with preliminary assessments indicating the incident may have been caused by a maritime drone or a sea mine explosion. The incident comes just days after an LPG tanker caught fire following an explosion close to Romania’s territorial waters.

According to Romania's Department for Emergency Situations (DSU), the commercial vessel Christiana B was sailing from Norfolk, United States, to Ukraine when it reported damage while located about 22 nautical miles southeast of Sfântu Gheorghe, in Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone.

The distress call was received overnight by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) within the Romanian Naval Authority via the international maritime emergency channel. The crew initially reported damage to the vessel and requested assistance, amid concerns that an evacuation might be necessary.

Romanian authorities activated emergency response procedures, dispatching the SAR Apollo and SAR Artemis rescue vessels operated by the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM). A helicopter from the Interior Ministry's General Inspectorate of Aviation also carried out an aerial reconnaissance mission.

“According to information provided by the ship's captain, there are no injuries, and the crew no longer requires evacuation. The vessel is also able to continue sailing toward shore, where it will undergo technical inspections and repairs to the damage,” DSU said.

Preliminary assessments indicate that the damage, located in cargo hold No. 6, may have been caused either by the impact of a maritime drone or by the explosion of a sea mine, according to DSU, which stressed that the findings remain preliminary and could change as the investigation continues.

The incident is the second involving a commercial vessel in the area in recent days. Earlier this week, the LPG tanker Gas Lisbon caught fire following an explosion about 30 kilometers off Sfântu Gheorghe, outside Romania's territorial waters. Three crew members were hospitalized following that incident, one of whom later died at the Tulcea County Emergency Hospital.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

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