Conflict · Black Sea shippingCorn ship sinks off Romania: 2 dead, 11 rescued, drone claim unconfirmedAired October 6, 2026 at 1:34 AM UTCWritten October 6, 2026 at 10:14 AM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:09A corn ship sank in the Black Sea, and two sailors are dead.0:13The Royad Mamadov was Turkish-owned, crewed by Azerbaijani and Indian seafarers, and0:18went down inside the economic zone of Romania, a NATO and EU member.0:22Ukraine says two Russian drones hit it.0:24So what actually hit the ship and how many people did it kill?0:27The numbers do not match.0:29Romania's Interior Ministry says two people died and 11 were rescued.0:33Ukraine's president counts one confirmed death, the captain and one person still0:37unaccounted for.0:38They may describe the same two people at different stages of the search, but that is0:42an inference and no source states it.0:44India's embassy in Bucharest also says two foreign nationals died.0:47Zelensky posted at about 12.45 GMT on Monday.0:51The words civilian and neutral waters are his own characterization.0:55He accused Russia of choosing terror and sinking civilian vessels, said Ukraine and0:59third countries have proposed Black Sea de-escalation steps and called for pressure1:03to restore food security shipping.1:04The count moved during the day.1:06An early alert from Romania's naval authorities said the captain was injured and 131:11crew were missing.1:12That has been superseded.1:1313 were aboard, and 11 were pulled out alive.1:16The naval authority says three crew were injured and eight unharmed, while Zelensky1:21said one.1:21An Interior Ministry helicopter winched three injured people off, and rescue vessels1:25took the rest.1:26India's embassy says all three Indian crew are safe.1:29One of them injured and treated at Constanța County Hospital.1:33Names have circulated for the dead, a captain identified only as Rustam and the1:37cook, whose body is said to have gone down with the ship.1:40Romania has not confirmed either.1:42The ship went down about 30 nautical miles south of Svantu Gyorghe, near the Danube1:47Delta.1:47That is outside Romania's territorial waters, but inside its economic zone, which is1:52why Zelensky's neutral waters wording is his own.1:54The Coast Guard was alerted by the Constanta Rescue Center at around 11 a.m.1:59The ship was reported near the Pescaros platform run by OMV Petrom, and the operator2:03says the platform kept running normally.2:06Coast Guard vessels and an aviation helicopter ran the rescue.2:09The ship was a general cargo vessel.2:11about 139 to 140 meters long, built in 2006 and flagged in St.2:16Kitts and Nevis, not Turkey.2:19Its registered owner is a Turkey-based company, MG Shipping V.2:23It is tied to the Palmali group and was renamed in 2022 after an Azerbaijani2:27serviceman killed in the Second Karabakh War.2:30It was carrying corn from Ismail in Ukraine toward Ravenna in Italy, a cargo en2:34route no official has confirmed.2:36On caused the sources split.2:37Ukraine's government blames two Russian drones.2:40Romania confirms the fire and the sinking but has not said what caused them, and it2:44did not answer questions on whether a drone was involved.2:47No wreck examination or investigation finding has been published.2:50Russia has not commented on the Royad Mamadov.2:53Its defense ministry said earlier on Monday that it struck two Ukrainian cargo2:57vessels, a dry cargo ship carrying military equipment at Chornomorsk, and another3:01carrying military supplies south of Odessa.3:04It named no vessel, the locations differ from where the ship sank, and nothing3:08public links either to it.3:10Russia has framed recent Black Sea strikes as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on3:14its refineries and shipping.3:16Turkey's Chamber of Maritime Commerce counts 226 civilian and commercial vessels3:20attacked in the Black Sea since the war began, most of them this year.3:24Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sabiha called the strike cynical given Turkey's3:28role in Black Sea diplomacy.3:29No Turkish or Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry statement on this ship has surfaced, and3:33India's embassy says it is assisting its citizens.3:36So, what hit the ship and how many died?3:39Romania confirms the fire, the sinking, and two deaths.3:43The drone is Ukraine's claim, and Romania has not confirmed it.3:47Still unresolved, whether the toll is two dead or one dead and one missing, who the3:52victims are.3:53Whether Russia will acknowledge or deny the strike, and how Turkey, Azerbaijan,3:57India, and Romania respond when a Turkish-owned ship sinks in a NATO and EU member's4:02economic zone.4:03It is also unclear whether the loss changes insurance or shipping behavior on the4:07Ukrainian grain route.4:08The people at the center are working seafarers from Azerbaijan and India whose ship4:13was carrying food.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗