Romania Rescues 12 Crew from Cargo Ship Suspected of Being Attacked
Progress IV caught fire 15 miles off the Romanian coast and is believed to have sunk
Romanian rescue services recovered 12 seafarers from the small cargo ship Progress IV after the crew reported a fire aboard. Romanian President Nicusor Dan said at a press conference that the vessel appeared to have been attacked, while stressing that investigators had not yet established by whom or by what means.
The general cargo ship, registered in Dominica and managed from the UAE, reported the fire at around 1800 on August 27, roughly 15 nautical miles off the Romanian coast. Its AIS track showed the vessel heading for Turkey.
Two search and rescue units belonging to Romania's ARSVOM responded alongside a Border Police vessel and the merchant ship Mohamad B. The Romanian units took off 10 crewmembers and the merchant ship recovered the remaining two. One person was injured.
The Progress IV was built in 2005, measured 122 meters in length and had a deadweight of 7,298 tonnes. The vessel had reported departing from Sulina, a port that is frequently entered on paperwork as cover when ships call in Ukraine to load grain from the Danube ports.
Dan said it was not good to indulge in speculation, while confirming that Romania believed the Progress IV had sunk. He also said Romania had contacted Ukraine to ask it to refrain from attacking tankers carrying Russian energy products to Romania.
Romanian media reported that two F-18 fighters were launched during the day to investigate an aerial object roughly 33 kilometres north of Snake Island. Drone debris was found on Romanian and Bulgarian beaches on August 26.
Both Russia and Ukraine have stepped up attacks on merchant shipping through the summer offensives of 2026, and the northwestern Black Sea has become one of the most closely watched stretches of water in commercial shipping.
