Russian drone hits Turkish LPG tanker near Ukraine, Romania orders evacuations

Romanian authorities initiated precautionary evacuations in the village of Plauru, Tulcea County, following a drone strike on the Ukrainian port of Izmail that ignited a Turkish liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker situated near the Romanian border.

The incident occurred while the tanker was unloading liquefied gas at the Ukrainian port, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The Turkish-flagged tanker ORINDA had sixteen crew members aboard, all of whom were safely evacuated.

“The Turkish-flagged tanker ORINDA, carrying 16 Turkish crew members, was hit while unloading in the Ukrainian port of Izmail, causing a fire onboard. The crew safely evacuated. There are no casualties. Firefighting teams are currently working to extinguish the fire,” the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs of Türkiye’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure confirmed.

Earlier, Oleg Kiper, head of the Odessa Regional State Administration, reported damage to several civilian vessels following a large-scale Russian strike on the region.

The Romanian Ministry of Defence (MApN) said its radar and surveillance systems detected and tracked airborne targets moving through Ukrainian airspace near Tulcea county during the overnight attack. At 02:30, authorities issued a RO-Alert warning to residents in the northern part of the county.

The ministry noted, however, that no unauthorized entry into Romania’s airspace was recorded.

“The Ministry of Defence forces will carry out inspections today in the areas where risks may arise as a result of last night’s events. Allied structures are also being informed in real time about the situations along the border with Ukraine,” reads the statement by the ministry.

The Romanian ministry also condemned the Russian strikes, calling them unjustified attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure and a serious violation of international law.

The Romanian village of Plauru has repeatedly been in focus due to its proximity to the border with Ukraine and the incidents caused by the ongoing war in the neighbouring country.

By Vafa Guliyeva