Stunning new details have emerged regarding a maritime disaster in the Black Sea, where an international merchant vessel was struck by drones within Romanian waters, leaving its crew to battle for survival in freezing seas.
Sea-news.az reports citing an exclusive interview given by Azerbaijani boatswain Elman Mahmudov to Musavat.com, that the tragedy unfolded aboard the cargo vessel PROGRESS IV (operated by Ukraine’s Sabrama company, sailing under the flag of Dominica, and traveling from Reni, Ukraine, to Tekirdağ, Turkey).
According to Mahmudov, the vessel was hit at approximately 19:00, roughly 20–25 kilometers offshore, after taking three consecutive drone strikes. Following the second strike, a Ukrainian crew member suffered a severe compound arm fracture, and the captain and senior officers abandoned the ship.
“According to maritime rules, the captain must be the last to leave the ship,” Mahmudov stated. “However, during the attack, the captain and his deputies jumped into a lifeboat, cut the line, and pulled away without taking us, not even taking the wounded Ukrainian crew member.” The Azerbaijani crew members stepped in, tying off the injured man’s shattered arm with a tourniquet. When a third drone strike hit, causing the PROGRESS IV to sink rapidly, the Azerbaijani sailors kept the wounded Ukrainian afloat in the freezing water.
The crew spent 5 to 6 hours stranded in the dark amidst 2-2.5 meter waves until a Romanian military vessel arrived around 01:00–02:00 to rescue them.
While the Romanian government and local authorities—including Defense Minister Radu Miruçe and President Nicușor Dan—have confirmed the drone attack and launched an official criminal investigation through the Constanța Court of Appeal prosecutor’s office, the surviving Azerbaijani sailors faced immediate post-rescue hurdles.
Having lost all personal belongings, passports, and certifications to the Black Sea, the four Azerbaijani crew members faced mistreatment from the operating company, which allegedly refused to pay August wages or compensation while reportedly supporting their Ukrainian counterparts.
However, swift diplomatic intervention provided a vital lifeline. Qudsi Osmanov, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Romania, traveled 250–300 kilometers from Bucharest to Constanța to personally meet with the survivors, cover their immediate expenses, and arrange for replacement documentation to repatriate them safely to Azerbaijan.
“All our hopes were pinned on the Ambassador,” Mahmudov noted, expressing deep gratitude. Safe and currently resting in a hotel in Romania, the Azerbaijani sailors await their impending return home as international maritime investigators continue probing the source and nature of the strike.
