Romanian Rescue Teams Search For 3 Missing Crew After Cargo Ship Sinks In Black Sea

Romanian rescue workers initiated an intensive search operation in search of three missing crew members from a cargo ship that sank off the coast of the Black Sea on the early morning of May 18, 2024, according to the country’s naval administration.

Mohammad Z, a Tanzanian-flagged cargo ship, was sunken 26 nautical miles from Sfantu Gheorghe, a Danube village in Romania.

The ship consisted of 11 crew members, of which nine were Syrians and two were Egyptians.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), in collaboration with the border police and two neighbouring commercial vessels, initiated the search and rescue operation at approximately 4 a.m.

The nearest commercial vessel, Michel, played a crucial role in rescuing eight crew members.

However, efforts are still underway to locate the remaining three missing crew members, all of whom are Syrian nationals.

The naval authority stated that the eight rescued crew members were evacuated onboard the commercial vessel Michel, which was the nearest vessel to the site under MRCC coordination.

He added that efforts are underway to find the three remaining crew members.

One of the rescued crew members was reported to have suffered injuries and was transported to a hospital in Constanta, Romania, for treatment.

The exact cause of the sinking is still unknown.

The Black Sea has become increasingly dangerous due to drifting mines since Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Military diving teams from Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey are working diligently to defuse mines that have drifted into their seas.

Additional resources were dispatched in the search, including a Romanian Air Force helicopter and two rescue vessels from the Romanian Agency for Rescue and Life-Saving in Maritime Distress (ARSVOM), namely Apollo and Artemis.

Two border police boats also assisted in the rescue efforts.

The Mohammad Z, a Turkish-owned vessel with a deadweight tonnage (dwt) of 3,425, had left Istanbul en route to Sulina in Romania.

According to a recent port inspection in Egypt, the vessel had problems such as malfunctioning safety lamps and insufficiently maintained life buoys.

Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine border the Black Sea, an important marine route for grain, oil, and product shipments.

The sinking of Mohammad Z highlights the continued risks in the region’s seas, which have been made worse by the crisis in Ukraine.

The rescued crew members are helping to investigate the exact reason for the sinking.

Reference: Reuters

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