SAN MARINO – A ship flying the San Marino flag was hit by three drones while it was anchored in the Black Sea, off the port of Sulina, Romania. Seven crew members are missing, while five others, including the commander, were evacuated by helicopter and are in good health.
The Naval Registry of the Republic of San Marino communicated the incident. The ship involved is the WINE TRADER (IMO 8808707), headed to Moldova to carry out seed oil loading operations. There were 12 seafarers on board: nine citizens of Benin, two Croatians and one Bosnian.
According to the first reconstruction provided by the commander, around 4 in the morning a drone hit the crew accommodation area, causing a fire. Five seafarers, including the master, attempted to extinguish the flames using the main and emergency fire pumps.
From the early stages of the accident, however, seven crew members did not respond to the call. The conditions of serious danger, caused by the fire and the damage suffered by the ship, prevented the search from starting immediately.
During the emergency, again according to the commander’s testimony, two other drones hit the WINE TRADER: one again in the accommodation area and the second in the central part of the vessel.
The new impacts also damaged the fire water distribution system, making it impossible to continue firefighting operations. The five seafarers fighting the flames then took refuge in the bow area, where they waited for help before being recovered by helicopter.
In the meantime, a naval rescue vessel has joined the WINE TRADER to allow the intervention of specialized personnel and start the search for the seven missing people.
The San Marino Naval Registry, informed of the accident by the shipping and management company, immediately took action to follow and coordinate the monitoring of the emergency, maintaining contacts with the authorities and those involved in search and rescue operations.
The priority remains to ascertain the conditions of the seven missing seafarers. The Naval Register has announced further updates as soon as official information on the outcome of the searches becomes available.
