Cargo ship fire off Romania in Black Sea leaves two dead, 11 rescued
In short
A fire broke out on the cargo ship Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea off Romania. Two crew members died, 11 were rescued and the captain was injured, according to Romanian authorities and Romanian media cited by Russian outlets. Kommersant reported the fire followed a drone strike and that the vessel sank; the other outlets in the documents available did not mention a drone.
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Two crew members died and 11 were rescued after a fire broke out on the cargo ship Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea off Romania, according to Romanian authorities and Romanian media cited by Russian outlets. The ship's captain was injured, the Romanian maritime administration said, according to Kommersant. Interfax, citing Romanian media, reported that two members of the crew died and 11 were saved. [ 2 , 3 ]
Romania's interior ministry reported two dead and 11 rescued, TASS and RIA Novosti said. Interfax reported that the fire started while the vessel was outside Romania's territorial waters but inside the country's exclusive economic zone, and that Romanian search-and-rescue vessels were sent to the scene. TASS's first report, published at 13:55, said 13 crew members were missing. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 ]
Kommersant reported that the fire followed a drone strike on the vessel and that the ship then sank, citing the Romanian maritime administration as saying a drone attacked the ship. RBC also reported that the vessel sank. No other outlet in the documents available mentioned a drone. Kommersant, quoting the Romanian news site hotnews.ro, said the attack happened as the ship passed near the Petrom-owned Pescarus oil platform. [ 2 , 4 , 6 ]
The ship, sailing under the flag of St Kitts and Nevis, was travelling from the Ukrainian port of Izmail to Ravenna in Italy, Kommersant and Interfax reported. RBC described the vessel as a Turkish cargo ship carrying grain. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant reported that 45 attacks on merchant ships were recorded in the 12 months to 21 September 2026 outside the previously designated zone, against none a year earlier, with 33 of them in the last three months. In the first three weeks of September 2026, average daily container traffic to Azov-Black Sea ports fell 25% while traffic toward North-West ports rose 166%, the outlet reported, adding that on 16 September 2026 the elevated military risk zone was extended to the whole Black Sea except the territorial waters of Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Georgia. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The incident adds to the risk picture for merchant shipping in the Black Sea: Kommersant reported 45 attacks on commercial vessels in the 12 months to 21 September 2026 outside the previously designated risk zone, against none a year earlier, and said cargo flows have already shifted away from Azov-Black Sea ports. The ship was sailing from Ukraine to Italy, a route on which carriers must now weigh war risk. The documents give no information on who operated the drone or on consequences beyond shipping.
Key facts
- A fire broke out on the cargo ship Royad Mammadov, sailing under the flag of St Kitts and Nevis, in the Black Sea off Romania. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Two crew members died and 11 were rescued, according to Romanian authorities and Romanian media cited by Russian outlets. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The ship's captain was injured. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The vessel was sailing from the Ukrainian port of Izmail to Ravenna in Italy. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Kommersant and RBC reported that the vessel sank. [ 2 , 4 ]
- The fire started outside Romania's territorial waters but inside the country's exclusive economic zone, Interfax reported, and Romanian search-and-rescue vessels were sent to the scene. [ 3 ]
- Kommersant reported 45 attacks on merchant ships in the 12 months to 21 September 2026 outside the previously designated zone, against zero a year earlier, with 33 in the last three months. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A fire broke out on the cargo ship Royad Mammadov, which flies the flag of St Kitts and Nevis, in the Black Sea off Romania. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Two crew members died and 11 were rescued. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]
- The ship's captain was injured. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The vessel was sailing from the Ukrainian port of Izmail to Ravenna in Italy. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The vessel sank. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Romania's interior ministry reported two dead and 11 rescued. [ 5 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the fire followed a drone strike. Kommersant reported that the fire began after a drone attack on the vessel and cited the Romanian maritime administration; TASS, Interfax, RIA Novosti and RBC did not mention a drone in the documents available.
- How many crew members are unaccounted for. TASS's first report and RBC's summary said 13 crew members were missing, while the two dead and 11 rescued reported by Interfax and Romania's interior ministry account for 13 crew members in total.
- The vessel's ownership or operator. RBC described the ship as Turkish and carrying grain, while Kommersant and Interfax said it flew the flag of St Kitts and Nevis; no document names the owner or operator.
- The exact position of the incident. Interfax said the fire started outside Romania's territorial waters but inside its exclusive economic zone; Kommersant, quoting the Romanian site hotnews.ro, said it happened near the Petrom-owned Pescarus oil platform.
- Who operated the drone. No document states who launched the drone or reports any claim of responsibility.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports a fire on a cargo ship in the Black Sea and says 13 crew members are missing. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant reports that the ship caught fire and sank off Romania after a drone strike. [ 2 ]
- Interfax reports that two sailors died, the captain was injured and 11 were rescued. [ 3 ]
- RBC reports two dead and 13 missing and says the ship sank. [ 4 ]
- TASS, citing Romania's interior ministry, reports two dead and 11 rescued. [ 5 ]
- Kommersant reports that two people died in the drone attack on the cargo ship. [ 6 ]
- RIA Novosti, citing Romania's interior ministry, reports two dead and 11 rescued. [ 7 ]