Romania's Maritime Rescue Agency announced today that it received a request from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) to launch a search and rescue operation to assist the grain ship Royad Mammadov, which met with an incident off its coast.
The agency deployed several search and rescue vessels to the area near the Pescarus oil rig in the Black Sea. They found the 139-meter-long Royad Mammadov on fire after a drone attack. The ship subsequently sank, with two sailors dying and 11 people rescued.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later accused Russian forces of using two drones to attack the Royad Mammadov while the vessel was carrying corn in international waters. Zelensky stated the ship was Turkish-owned, and its crew members were citizens of Azerbaijan and India.
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The Royad Mammadov before the incident. Photo: romania-insider |
According to the Ukrainian President, the two fatalities included the captain. He added that Kyiv had "repeatedly proposed concrete steps to de-escalate tensions and ensure security in the Black Sea" and called for "pressure to restore global food security."
Russia has not yet responded to the accusation.
Ukraine and Russia are intensifying drone attacks on each other's energy infrastructure and strategic targets as the war of attrition continues.
Turkey has expressed concern about attacks targeting maritime transport in the Black Sea. Its sailors have also protested after fatalities resulted from these attacks.
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Location of the Black Sea. Graphic: Geopolitical Monitor |
The Turkish Chamber of Shipping (IMEAK) reported last month that since the conflict in Ukraine began in February 2022, 226 civilian and commercial ships have been attacked in the Black Sea, with most occurring this year.
Turkey has expressed dissatisfaction with both Russia and Ukraine. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated last month before the United Nations General Assembly that these attacks are "unacceptable."
Ambrey, a maritime risk assessment firm, released data last month showing that the number of war-related objects detected in the Black Sea has more than doubled in the past six months as the Russia-Ukraine conflict shows no signs of de-escalation.
By Ngoc Anh | Source: AFP, Reuters
