European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the attack on the civilian ship Khoryv off the coast of Romania as “another Russian escalation in the Black Sea”. In the incident, one sailor died, three are missing, and nine were rescued.
“I am deeply concerned by yet another Russian escalation in the Black Sea. A civilian ship with a Ukrainian and Azerbaijani crew was hit off the Romanian coast. These reckless attacks are targeting civilians and are a flagrant disregard for international law,” said von der Leyen.
She expressed her condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased sailor, as well as to the relatives of the three crew members who are still being sought. The President of the European Commission also thanked the rescue teams working at the scene of the incident.
The ship sank near Constanta
The Khoryv sent a distress signal while it was about 13 nautical miles from Constanta, outside Romanian territorial waters. Following the signal, Romanian maritime authorities launched a rescue operation. The ship sank and the search for the three missing sailors continues.
There were 13 people on board – 10 citizens of Ukraine and three citizens of Azerbaijan. According to the Romanian Maritime Administration, nine crew members were rescued, one died and three are missing. Preliminary data suggests that the ship was probably hit by a drone, but the circumstances surrounding the incident are not yet fully understood.
It was sailing from Turkey to Sulina
The Khoryv was sailing under the flag of the Comoros. The ship is 43 years old and was carrying ore or oil. Its movement data shows that it left the Turkish port of Eregli and was heading for Sulina, where it was due to arrive on Saturday.
The incident near Constanta is the latest in a series of damaged or sunken merchant ships in the western Black Sea. The European Commission has not announced any additional measures, and the Romanian rescue services are continuing the search operation for the three sailors.
Sources: ukrinform.ua, apnews.com, agerpres.ro