The Black Sea basin and international shipping have become the scene of two new deadly tragedies involving civilian vessels. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry officially confirmed death of the Egyptian captain of the cargo ship M/V Noran, which was attacked shortly after leaving the Russian port of Novorossiysk. At about the same time, the Russian diplomatic mission announced the death of Russian sailor from the ship „Kaltan“, injured in an incident in South Korea.
Drones set fire to the cargo ship M/V Noran near Novorossiysk
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo announced that the Egyptian embassy in Moscow is in constant contact with the Russian authorities to repatriate the body of the deceased captain. Due to the ongoing intensive military operations in the water area, the operation to collect the remains is temporarily difficult. The remaining eight Egyptian crew members have already been successfully evacuated and returned to the Arab republic.
According to international ship traffic tracking platforms, the M/V Noran was en route from Albania to Batumi (Georgia). Russian sources and media claim that the ship has been the subject of a massive air attack by 6 Ukrainian drones immediately after sailing from Novorossiysk, resulting in a severe fire on board.
Freon suffocation kills Russian sailor in Busan port
The second maritime tragedy took place on board the Russian fishing vessel „Kaltan“, which was anchored for repairs in the South Korean port of Kamcheon (city of Busan). The Consulate General of the Russian Federation reported that one of the seriously injured sailors was died in the hospital as a result of an acute accident.
The incident occurred during repair work in the ship's cold storage, where a sudden and massive leakage of toxic refrigerant (freon). A total of four Russian citizens from the 15-member crew were gassed, with two of them hospitalized with temporary cardiac arrest. The local coast guard in South Korea has launched an investigation into safety violations on board.
Sources: Reuters, TASS, Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Egypt Today, BTA