Gas Lisbon tanker blaze extinguished after Black Sea drone strike kills one crew member, boarding still unsafe

The attack

On the night of 20 to 21 July 2026, the Liberian-flagged LPG tanker Gas Lisbon was struck by three drones, according to crew accounts, while transiting Romania's exclusive economic zone about 20 nautical miles southeast of Sfântu Gheorghe. The vessel was carrying over 3,790 tonnes of propane from Alexandria, Egypt, to the Ukrainian port of Reni. The explosions caused major structural damage and a fire that engulfed the superstructure. All 17 crew members fled to the bow and were subsequently evacuated by Romanian rescue teams.

Rescue and casualties

Three sailors were taken to the Tulcea County Emergency Hospital with second- and third-degree burns on the face and upper limbs, and multiple fragmentation injuries. One of them, a 46-year-old Filipino national, died on 23 July due to pulmonary complications and airway burns. The hospital manager, Tudor Năstăsescu, confirmed that the two remaining injured crew members are in stable condition and remain under observation. The other 14 mariners were accommodated in Sulina after the rescue.

Fire extinguished but hull remains too hot to board

By Wednesday 22 July, an aerial survey by a helicopter of the Interior Ministry’s General Aviation Inspectorate using thermal imaging found that the open flames had gone out, but temperatures in the damaged section remained high. In a statement, the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) said the vessel was still too dangerous to board.

The fire is no longer visible with open flames, but high temperatures continue in the affected area. Access to the ship cannot be carried out safely at this moment.

Authorities planned another overflight for Thursday 23 July, weather permitting, to reassess conditions and decide next steps.

Why IGSU’s multirole vessels were not deployed

The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) faced questions over its decision not to send its two purpose-built multirole vessels, a firefighting (FI-FI) ship and a search-and-rescue (SAR) unit, to the scene. IGSU explained that neither vessel was fully operational: the FI-FI ship lacked a qualified commander meeting legal requirements of at least three years’ experience as a second officer or maritime boat commander. Although graduates of the “Mircea cel Bătrân” Naval Academy had been hired over the past two years, they had not yet accumulated the required seniority. A suitable commander was found only weeks ago, and the FI-FI ship made its first test sailings last week.

Even had the ships been ready, IGSU stressed that a direct intervention would have been too risky.

Such an intervention would not have been opportune or justified given the major risks, including explosions, that would endanger the lives of the rescue teams. The priority is always to protect the lives of our personnel.

The authority added that there was no immediate threat to the population or evidence of marine pollution that would demand firefighting from Romanian forces.

Political reactions

President Nicușor Dan attributed the incident to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Romanian Naval Authority reassured that the coastline and population were not in danger. The Free Navigator Union claimed the tanker was hit by two rockets, but the crew themselves reported three drone impacts. The discrepancy has not been officially clarified.