Employees of the Romanian Ministry of Interior have conducted a rescue operation in the Black Sea near the resort town of Neptun to assist seven Turkish sailors aboard a distressed tugboat.
Sea-news.az reports citing TASS.
According to a statement published on the official website of the Romanian Ministry of Interior: “The Turkish-flagged tugboat Ayaz Bey issued an international ‘Mayday’ distress signal at approximately 04:20 (06:20 Baku time) after colliding with the vessel Mentor, which sails under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda.”
According to preliminary details, two Turkish tugboats—Ayaz Bey and Ramazan Bey—were towing the damaged vessel Mentor from Ukrainian waters near the port of Odessa toward Turkey. The towed vessel was unmanned.
Reports indicate that “during the night, adverse weather conditions caused the towlines to snap. Although they were subsequently re-secured, the tugboat Ayaz Bey collided with the vessel.”
The rescue effort involved two watercraft belonging to the Romanian Interior Ministry alongside a vessel from the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Lives at Sea (ARSVOM). The Ministry’s press service later announced that three of the crew members were transferred to the Netherlands-flagged tugboat Odin and are being transported to the Romanian port of Mangalia. The remaining four sailors declined evacuation, stating they did not require assistance. The Romanian Interior Ministry confirmed that the Ayaz Bey is currently anchored.
