The Turkish-flagged general cargo vessel Reyhan Sari was damaged in a drone attack near Novorossiysk Port in Russia's Black Sea on 22 July, leaving one crew member dead, two injured, and another initially reported missing.
Vessel operator T&O Shipping confirmed that the drone strike damaged the ship's communications systems, making it difficult to establish contact with the crew in the aftermath of the attack.
One Turkish seafarer was killed in the attack. Two other crew members were injured and received initial medical treatment on board before being medically evacuated by a Turkish Coast Guard helicopter and brought to Samsun hospital in Turkey.
One of the injured crew members, who was later reported to suffer minor cuts, described the incident to Turkish media from the hospital, saying that the vessel Rehyan Sari was attacked twice, damaging the cabin and then the vessel deck. He also stated that one crew member died and three crew members, including himself, had been injured in the incident.
Initial reports indicated that one crew member remained unaccounted for because the damaged accommodation area could not immediately be accessed.
Despite sustaining damage, the vessel continued sailing and arrived at Samsun under its own power. The vessel is expected to undergo detailed inspection by the authorities to determine the extent of damage.
Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) on 22 July announced that they had struck 13 vessels in the Black and Azov seas as part of an operation targeting ships it claims support Russia's military logistics and energy exports. SBS has not mentioned Reyhan Sari in the attack.
Reyhan Sari is a 2011-built vessel that measures 178.32 meters in length and 27.85 meters in width. The vessel was sailing from the Russian port of Taman to Trabzon with a cargo of coal at the time of the incident.
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