A drone struck the Turkish-flagged bulk carrier Reyhan Sarı in the Black Sea early Wednesday, killing one crew member and wounding three others, according to an injured seafarer.
The ship was transporting coal from Russia to Turkey.
The vessel was sailing from Russia’s Taman port to Trabzon on Turkey’s Black Sea coast when it was attacked, according to its operator, T&O Shipping. Turkish maritime news outlets placed the strike near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, although the company did not release coordinates.
T&O Shipping confirmed that a drone hit the vessel and damaged its communications systems, making contact with the crew difficult after the attack. The ship retained its ability to sail and reached waters off the northern Turkish province of Samsun under its own power.
Two injured crew members were evacuated by helicopter and taken to hospitals in Samsun. The company said it could not initially reach the cabin of another crew member and was working with Turkish and international agencies, insurers and other organizations to verify the circumstances.
A helicopter operated by the Black Sea Regional Command of the Turkish Coast Guard Command rescued the injured sailors from the vessel and flew them to Samsun Çarşamba Airport.
Ufuk Cihan Yılmaz was taken to the Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMÜ) Medical Faculty Hospital with open wounds to both legs. Enes Torun, 21, was admitted to Samsun City Hospital with cuts and was reported to be in good condition.
“They hit my cabin with a drone,” Torun told the İhlas news agency (İHA). “They pulled me out from under the debris.”
Torun said the first strike occurred at about 1:30 a.m. and that a second explosion hit the deck while he was receiving treatment in the ship’s infirmary. He gave the casualty toll as one person killed and three injured, including himself.
Ukraine claims attacks on 13 vessels
The attack occurred during a Ukrainian drone campaign against vessels that Kyiv says transport goods in Russia’s interests.
Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, said in a post on his official Telegram channel that Ukrainian units struck 13 vessels in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov July 21 and 22.
Brovdi listed one tanker, 10 dry cargo ships and two tugboats. He described the vessels as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” but did not name them or identify the Reyhan Sarı as one of the targets.
Brovdi said Ukrainian forces had struck 196 vessels since the campaign began on July 6, including 70 in the Black Sea and 126 in the Sea of Azov.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 242 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones between 8 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Wednesday. The ministry said drones were intercepted over several Russian regions and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. It did not mention the Reyhan Sarı or damage to a Turkish merchant ship.
The overlap in timing, location and vessel type leaves open the possibility that Reyhan Sarı was struck during the Ukrainian operation.