A Turkish-flagged vessel carrying 16 Turkish crew members was struck by a Russian drone attack in Ukraine, Turkish maritime authorities reported on Nov. 17.
The LPG tanker Orindaship was hit by the drone while undergoing evacuation at Ukraine’s Port of Izmail, said the Directorate General of Maritime Affairs, affiliated with Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Ministry.
The drone strike caused a fire on board, but the crew safely evacuated the vessel.
“There were no injuries. Firefighting teams are responding to the blaze on the ship,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, media reports indicated that the vessel was carrying 4,000 tons of LNG, prompting the evacuation of residents in the nearby Romanian village of Plauru due to the risk of an explosion.
In January, Russia announced it shot down nine Ukrainian drones attempting to target the TurkStream gas pipeline, which transports Russian gas to Türkiye and Europe, labeling the attack as an “act of energy terrorism.”
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the drones were aimed at a compressor station in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region, but operations at the facility continued normally and there were no casualties.
