The MV Reyhan Sarı was transporting coal from Russia’s Port of Taman in the Sea of Azov to Türkiye’s northern province of Trabzon when it was attacked in international waters off the coast of Samsun, News.Az reports, citing Daily Sabah.
The vessel resumed its journey following the incident, while the injured crew members were taken ashore for medical treatment.
Turkish authorities have not issued an official statement on the attack, which is suspected to have been carried out by a Ukrainian drone.
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More than three years of war between Russia and Ukraine have significantly undermined maritime security in the Black Sea. Türkiye has recorded several incidents involving Russian- or Ukrainian-origin drones crashing on its territory, while unmanned armed naval vessels have repeatedly washed ashore.
In response to the growing threat, Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria established a joint maritime security initiative primarily tasked with locating and clearing stray naval mines in the Black Sea.
The latest incident came days after Ukraine’s navy said Russian missile strikes on a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain had killed five people, while another five crew members remained missing.
According to the Ukrainian navy, Russia fired three cruise missiles at the Golden Leo, which sails under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, as the vessel was leaving the combat zone with a cargo of grain.
“This is yet another deliberate strike by Russia against an unarmed civilian vessel flying a foreign flag that posed no military threat whatsoever,” the navy said.
It described the attack as an act of terrorism against peaceful navigation and a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan raised maritime security concerns during a visit to Kyiv last week.
“The safety of navigation and commercial security in the Black Sea are of vital importance. I discussed this both with the Russian side during my visit to Moscow and with my esteemed counterpart here. It is an important matter for us and for all Black Sea countries,” Fidan said at a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Fidan also recalled that the United Nations had proposed maintaining commitments to energy security and the safety of navigation in the Black Sea despite the continuing war.
