A fire broke out on the cargo ship Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea on Monday, resulting in the vessel sinking and the deaths of two crew members, Romanian authorities reported. Eleven crew members were rescued following the incident, which occurred approximately 30 nautical miles south of Sfantu Gheorghe, a fishing port on Romania’s coast.

The 139-meter-long ship caught fire before it eventually sank, according to a Romanian naval spokesperson. Details regarding the cause of the fire have not been disclosed, and officials have not responded to inquiries about whether the incident involved drone activity. The Black Sea region has seen increased use of drones in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, making such possibilities noteworthy.

Search and rescue operations were conducted by Romanian authorities, who successfully recovered most of the crew. Efforts to determine the circumstances leading to the fire and sinking are ongoing, though no definitive explanation has yet been released. The incident underscores the heightened risks faced by maritime vessels operating in the Black Sea amid the ongoing hostilities in the area.