Dominican-flagged vessel catches fire in Black Sea, 12 crew rescued

A commercial vessel flying the Dominican Republic flag caught fire in the Black Sea on Thursday evening in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, about 15 to 20 nautical miles from the coastal town of Sfântu Gheorghe. All 12 crew members were rescued, Romanian authorities told local media.

President Nicușor Dan said the vessel had been hit, but stressed that the circumstances remained unclear and that an investigation would be conducted.

“This evening we had an incident at the limit, but outside our territorial waters. A vessel was hit. Fortunately, the crew members were rescued. The Coast Guard intervened promptly; no one was injured,” Dan said at a press conference in Chișinău.

“It was hit and appears to have sunk. At the moment we do not know by whom or why; an investigation will be conducted, and it is not good to engage in speculation,” he added.

Romania’s Border Police said that at around 7 p.m. on August 27, the Constanța Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre informed the Coast Guard that a fire had broken out aboard a commercial vessel in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, approximately 20 nautical miles southeast of Sfântu Gheorghe.

Earlier, at around 5:55 p.m., the Romanian Naval Authority’s maritime rescue coordination service had received a COSPAS-SARSAT distress alert concerning the vessel “PROGRESS IV,” which was flying the Dominican Republic flag. Its last known position was about 15 nautical miles from Sfântu Gheorghe.

“The commercial vessel MOHAMAD B was immediately directed to the area, while the ARSVOM, SAR ARES and SAR ARTEMIS rescue vessels were urgently mobilised, together with the MAI 0201 vessel (Border Police), designated as the on-scene coordinator,” the Romanian Naval Authority said.

All 12 crew members aboard the “PROGRESS IV” had been rescued alive by 8:47 p.m. One crew member suffered serious injuries to a hand.

The Coast Guard said the rescue operation was conducted in difficult conditions, with waves reaching about 2.5 meters.

By Tamilla Hasanova