Five crew members of the Wine Trader have been rescued, while seven others remain missing after a fire broke out in the Black Sea off the Romanian town of Sulina. There were a total of 12 people on board.
The incident occurred about 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina. The ship, which flies the flag of San Marino, sent a distress signal at around 7 am about a fire in the superstructure. According to Romanian naval authorities, the vessel was not carrying cargo.
„At around 7 am, the merchant ship Wine Trader, flying the flag of San Marino, sent an emergency signal about a fire in the ship's superstructure. There were 12 people on board. The ship is not carrying cargo,“ the Romanian naval authorities said.Two helicopters and several vessels are involved in the search
The Maritime Coordination Center has launched an urgent search and rescue operation, involving specialized naval and air resources.
The Romanian Ministry of Interior has sent two Black Hawk helicopters equipped with rescue winches. One has a medical team on board, while the second has been sent from Bucharest to reinforce the operation.
The Border Police, the General Inspectorate of Aviation and the General Inspectorate for Emergencies are also involved in the search. Two vessels have been dispatched to the area. The Fifi set sail from Mangalia with a doctor, two paramedics and a medical assistant. A multipurpose boat has set off from Tulcea towards Sulina with three paramedics and four crew members.
A Border Police vessel is monitoring the situation and assisting in rescue operations. However, strong waves are making it difficult to access the ship and search for the seven people who remain missing.
Sources: news.bg, agerpres.ro