Romanian Rescue Teams Search for Missing Crew of Sunk Cargo Ship in Black Sea

Romanian rescue teams are searching for three missing crew members of the cargo ship Mohammad Z, which sank off the Black Sea coast. The Tanzania-flagged ship sank 26 nautical miles off the Romanian Danube village of Sfantu Gheorghe. Of the eleven crew members onboard, nine were Syrian citizens and two were Egyptians. Eight crew members were rescued by the merchant vessel Michel, with the search ongoing for the remaining three missing Syrian nationals.

The search and rescue operation is being conducted by the Marine Authority’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC), the Border Police, and two commercial vessels near the ship. The cause of the ship sinking is still unclear, with efforts focused on locating the missing crew members. The Black Sea is a key maritime route for transporting goods such as grain, oil, and oil products, shared by several countries including Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine.

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, mines have begun drifting into the Black Sea. Military diving teams from countries like Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey are working to safely defuse these mines in the shared waters. The search for the missing crew members of the Mohammad Z highlights the challenges and dangers faced by maritime authorities in the region.

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