New Black Sea incident: Liberia-flagged vessel damaged, possibly by drone
A Liberia-flagged bulk carrier transporting coal from Norfolk, United States, to Ukraine reported damage during the night from Thursday to Friday while sailing approximately 22 nautical miles south-east of Sfantu Gheorghe. The damage was most likely caused either by the impact of a maritime drone or by the explosion of a naval mine.
According to information provided by the ship's master, there were no injuries and the crew no longer requires evacuation.
'During the night of July 23-24, the Romanian authorities were informed through the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), operating within the Romanian Naval Authority, of an incident on board the merchant vessel Christiana B. The Liberia-flagged ship, carrying coal from Norfolk, United States, to Ukraine, was located in Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone, approximately 22 nautical miles south-east of Sfantu Gheorghe,' the Department for Emergency Situations said in a press release.
The distress call was transmitted via the international maritime communication channel, with the crew reporting damage to the vessel and requesting assistance. At that stage, there were indications that the crew might need to be evacuated.
Following the alert, the relevant emergency response mechanisms were activated.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre coordinated the operation, dispatching the search and rescue vessels SAR APOLLO and SAR ARTEMIS of the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM) to the scene.
At the same time, a helicopter belonging to the General Inspectorate of Aviation of the Ministry of Interior carried out an aerial reconnaissance mission to assess the situation.
According to the ship's master, there were no injuries and the crew no longer requires evacuation. The vessel is also able to continue sailing towards shore for technical inspections and repairs.
Preliminary assessments indicate that the damage to cargo hold No. 6 may have been caused either by the impact of a maritime drone or by the explosion of a naval mine, the press release said.
Romanian authorities are continuing to monitor the situation and are maintaining operational cooperation between all relevant agencies in order to provide the necessary assistance and take the appropriate measures. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)
The content of the www.agerpres.ro website has the exclusive purpose of public informing.
All the information published on this website by AGERPRES is protected by relevant legal dispositions.
It is forbidden to copy, reproduce, recompile, decompile, distribute, publish, display, modify, create derived components or products or full services, as well as any exploitation of the site's content.
Details in the section Terms of Use. If you are interested in picking up AGERPRES news items, please contact the Marketing Department – marketing@agerpres.ro.
The use of the Comments section entails your obligation to respect the AGERPRES terms and conditions in regards to the publishing of comments on the www.agerpres.ro.
Other news in category
Pietroasele Roman Baths exhibition to mark European Heritage Days
The Buzau County Museum is organising an exhibition at the Pietroasele Roman Baths to mark European Heritage Days, offering visitors an opportunity to discover how the thermal baths operated as well as to learn valuable information about the famous 'Closca cu puii de aur' (The hatching hen with the golden chicken) treasure. The event, organised by the
AHK Romania's Metz: Energy efficiency is an issue not discussed as much in Romania
Energy efficiency is an issue that perhaps does not receive enough emphasis and is not discussed as much in Romania and, therefore, awareness of this topic needs to be increased, President of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania) Sebastian Metz told a specialist conference on Tuesday. 'We need to raise awareness of energy effic
CSAT: Strengthening US posture in our country represents strategic investment in Romania's security
Strengthening the US military posture in our country represents a strategic investment in Romania's security, the Presidential Administration announced following the meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT). 'As the United States is in the process of reviewing its military posture in Europe, the Council assessed the current status and
PNL, USR challenge Chamber leadership appointments at Constitutional Court
The Save Romania Union (USR) and National Liberal Party (PNL) parliamentary groups in the Chamber of Deputies on Monday filed a challenge with the Constitutional Court over what they described as an 'abusive decision by the new majority' in the lower house regarding the appointment of two members of its Permanent Bureau, the leaders of the two parties' groups of
PNL and USR sign parliamentary collaboration agreement, with administrative, electoral reforms as priorities
The parliamentary groups of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union (USR) signed on Monday a parliamentary collaboration agreement for the sessions of this legislature, establishing among the priorities the reform of the administration, the electoral reform and the elimination of the over-taxation of part-time work. 'The parliamentary group
Baia Mare Art 130 (1896-2026) - Contemporary Artists exhibition opens at Hungarian Cultural Centre Bucharest
The exhibition 'Baia Mare Art 130 (1896-2026) - Contemporary Artists', dedicated to the 130th anniversary of the Baia Mare artists' colony, will open on Tuesday evening at the Liszt Institute - Hungarian Cultural Centre Bucharest. Alongside Liszt Institute director Kosa Andras Laszlo, the event, starting at 19:00, will be attended by Hungarian Amba
Interm DefMin Miruta: PSD-led government would pose major risk to Romania's business environment
Interim Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Monday that a government formed around the Social Democratic Party (PSD) would, in his view, represent 'a major risk to the entire business environment', as Romania prepares for the appointment of a new prime minister. 'We have shown that things can get done in this country even when PSD is not in govern
Interim PM Bolojan: Romania must resist populist spending, shift economy from consumption to investment
Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said Romania urgently needs a government capable of consolidating the progress made so far, continuing the shift in the economic model from consumption towards investment, keeping public spending under control and collecting revenue efficiently so that the economy can grow naturally, on sound foundations, towards genuine prosperity.
FinMin Nazare: Deficit reduction cannot be delayed; today's deficits become tomorrow's debt
Romania has gone through a year of consolidation involving the most ambitious fiscal adjustment in the European Union (EU), moving from an economy based on debt-fuelled consumption to one based on investment and long-term development, interim Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare says. In a post on his Facebook page, he provided an up-to-date economic assessment o
Salvamont: Air and medical rescue training programme, resumed
An extensive training programme in aerial rescue, aimed at air and medical crew members on Mobile Service for Emergency, Reanimation and Extrication (SMURD) helicopters as well as mountain rescuers from Salvamont services across the country, begins on Monday in Busteni, in the Bucegi Mountains. The programme is organised by the Department for Emergency Situati
President Dan: Education needs measures designed responsibly, built on data, on a genuine assessment of results
President Nicusor Dan sent a message on Monday to mark the start of the new school year, saying that education needs responsible measures based on data and an assessment of results, while any reform must be supported by dialogue, resources and time to produce results. The head of state stressed that education is not limited to grades, school registers or exams
PM Bolojan: New school year begins as education investments worth over 2.5 B euros are completed
Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan on Monday sent a message to pupils starting the new school year, wishing them success and results commensurate with their efforts. The prime minister stressed that the new school year is beginning as one of the largest investment programmes in education is being completed, worth more than 2.5 billion euros, with funding coming from the Nat
New RO-ALERT message issued amid war in Ukraine in Tulcea County
Locals in the northern part of Tulcea County received another RO-ALERT message on Monday morning, at around 6:55 am, warning them of the possibility of drones or fragments of drones falling, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. In the extreme alert message, the authorities urged residents to remain calm and seek shelter in safe places for the next 90 mi
Babes-Bolyai University contributes to study on European high-mountain plant extinction rates
A new study published in the journal Science shows that although the total number of plant species on Europe's mountain summits is increasing, this trend masks an acceleration of local extinctions, particularly among species adapted to high-altitude cold environments. The research was conducted by a European consortium including Prof. Mihai Puscas of Babes
Energy Ministry official: Transgaz interconnectivity-boosting investments can help us be more resilient to sector challenges
Cristian Busoi, Secretary of State with the Energy Ministry, said that investments of national gas transmission company Transgaz to boost interconnectivity and expand regional and EU options can help us be more resilient to the challenges of a permanently dynamic energy sector. On the sidelines of the 10th South-East Europe Energy Forum (SEEF) in Thessaloniki,