Romania rescues 12 crew after Dominican-flagged cargo ship is struck and sinks in Black Sea

Sinking of the Progress IV off Sfântu Gheorghe

On the evening of 27 August 2026, the Dominican Republic-flagged commercial cargo ship Progress IV caught fire, sustained severe damage, and sank in the Black Sea within Romania's exclusive economic zone. The emergency began at 17:55 when the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), operating under the Romanian Naval Authority (ANR), detected a COSPAS-SARSAT distress alert. The transmission placed the vessel's last known coordinates approximately 15 to 20 nautical miles southeast of the Romanian coastal settlement of Sfântu Gheorghe. Fire rapidly engulfed the cargo vessel, creating heavy damage that forced all 12 crew members into the open water as the ship began to sink beneath the surface.

Emergency deployment and rescue in rough seas

At approximately 19:00, MRCC Constanța formally notified border police officers from the Romanian Coast Guard that a fire had broken out aboard the transit vessel. The coordination centre launched a search and rescue operation and designated the Coast Guard vessel MAI 0201 as the on-scene coordinator. Romanian authorities dispatched multiple assets to the coordinates, including two specialized rescue vessels from the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM), the SAR Ares and the SAR Artemis. Additionally, the MRCC diverted the nearby commercial vessel Mohamad B to assist with the maritime search.

Operating conditions in the Black Sea were severe, with rescue crews navigating through waves reaching heights of roughly 2.5 metres. The crew of a nearby commercial vessel first spotted several sailors in the water, allowing the coordinated rescue fleet to pinpoint their positions quickly. Border police aboard the MAI 0201 pulled ten crew members directly from the sea, while the crew of the commercial ship Mohamad B rescued the remaining two mariners. All 12 individuals were recovered alive from the water by 20:47, and authorities concluded the full rescue operation by 21:00.

Casualties and official statements from Chișinău

Among the 12 rescued mariners, one crew member sustained severe injuries, suffering a fractured arm during the incident that required specialized medical attention. The remaining eleven crew members avoided serious physical harm and were taken aboard the rescue vessels for transport back to the Romanian mainland. Romanian President Nicușor Dan addressed the maritime incident on Thursday evening during a press conference in Chișinău, Moldova, indicating that the ship had been struck before sinking.

This evening we had an incident in Romanian territorial waters. A ship was hit. Fortunately the crew members were saved. The Coast Guard intervened promptly, nobody was injured.

While President Dan's initial remarks stated that nobody was hurt, subsequent medical reports from the rescue teams confirmed the crew member's arm fracture. Official sources did not immediately identify the origin of the strike or provide further details regarding what struck the vessel. Both the Romanian Coast Guard vessel MAI 0201 and the commercial ship Mohamad B sailed toward port facilities on the Romanian coast with the 12 survivors on board.