Eight sailors are missing after a fire broke out on board the Wide Trader in the Black Sea off Romania. There were 12 people on board the San Marino-flagged vessel, four of whom are safe, Romanian maritime authorities said.
The incident occurred about 13-14 nautical miles southeast of Sulina, near the Danube Delta. The Maritime Coordination Center in Romania has launched a rescue operation, and the Romanian Agency for the Rescue of Human Life at Sea has sent the SAR Apollo ship to the area.
„There were 12 people on board. Four are safe, while eight are currently missing“, the Romanian Naval Administration said.According to the Romanian Maritime Rescue Agency, the distress signal was received in the morning. The ship was identified as the Wide Trader, and the rescue mission was launched following a request from the Maritime Coordination Center. Details on the condition of the four rescued sailors were not reported.
The cause of the fire has not been established
There is no confirmation yet of how the fire broke out. It is also not known whether the ship was hit by a drone. Romanian authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a separate incident the previous night near Sulina. A fire also broke out on the tanker Yara J, flying the flag of the Comoros. All 17 sailors on board were safe after the crew managed to extinguish the flames.
Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruca said that it was being investigated whether the tanker had been hit by a drone, but military radars had not detected an aircraft targeting it. The two incidents have not been officially linked.
Sources: bgnes.com, btvnovinite.bg