Turkish-flagged fishing boat is attacked in the Black Sea, leaving a sailor dead

A Turkish-flagged fishing boat was attacked and sank off the northern Black Sea coast, resulting in the death of one sailor and injuries to four others, as reported by the Turkish Coast Guard on Friday.

The incident involving the Duru 67 occurred west of Sevastopol in Crimea, an area annexed by Russia in 2014. The attack details were not disclosed in the Coast Guard Command statement.

Five sailors were rescued by the Burak Kaya trawler, but unfortunately, one of them passed away during the return journey to Turkey.

A Coast Guard ship with a medical team onboard reached the Burak Kaya vessel, located 115 nautical miles north of Turkey’s Inebolu port, to provide assistance to the injured sailors.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. The region off Ukraine has witnessed frequent assaults on ships since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in February 2022.

In a separate incident in November, the Turkish government expressed condemnation towards Ukrainian drone attacks on two oil tankers in the Black Sea, citing significant risks to navigation, life, property, and environmental safety in the area.