The explosion on board the oil tanker GAS LISBON, which was hit on Tuesday in the Black Sea: What is known so far

An explosion occurred on Tuesday aboard the oil tanker GAS Lisbon approximately 20 nautical miles southeast of the town of Sfântu Gheorghe. While IGSU speaks of an "incident aboard the ship," sources cited by Digi24 claim that it was hit by a drone. At the same time, the head of state, Nicușor Dan, announced that the tanker was struck. Three of the 17 crew members of the tanker were injured and transported to the hospital.

Sources from the Lower Danube River Administration in Galați say that the ship aboard which the explosion occurred on Tuesday near Sfântu Gheorghe may have been attacked by a marine drone, reports Digi24. This is in the context where IGSU speaks of an "incident aboard the ship, which caused major damage and the outbreak of a fire at the level of the superstructure."

Three injured transported to the hospital

The three victims from the tanker where the explosion occurred near Sfântu Gheorghe were brought, with the help of the multi-role vessel belonging to ISU Tulcea, to the municipality of Tulcea, from where they will be picked up and transported to the hospital by SMURD ambulances and ambulances belonging to the County Ambulance Service (SAJ), announces the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU).

Almost 4,000 tons of propane

Romanian authorities intervened to rescue the crew of the commercial vessel GAS LISBON, an LPG tanker flying the Liberian flag, which was navigating in Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone, approximately 20 nautical miles southeast of the town of Sfântu Gheorghe.

The ship had departed, according to IGSU, from the port of Alexandria (Egypt) and was heading towards Reni (Ukraine), carrying a cargo of over 3,790 tons of propane and a crew of 17 people.

How Romanian authorities intervened after the explosion

After receiving the alert through MRCC Constanța, a search and rescue operation was initiated, and communications with the ship were maintained through a nearby commercial vessel used as a radio relay, IGSU reports.

In support of the crew, a maritime intervention vessel from the Coast Guard was mobilized, as well as the search and rescue vessels SAR APOLLO and SAR ARTEMIS, belonging to the Romanian Agency for Maritime Humanitarian Rescue (ARSVOM). Due to unfavorable weather conditions, aerial intervention with a helicopter from the General Inspectorate of Aviation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs could not be carried out.

Upon arrival at the intervention site, the crew of the SAR APOLLO vessel launched two lifeboats, successfully evacuating all 17 crew members safely.

"Three of the rescued individuals required urgent medical care. Two victims had burns on approximately 10-15% of their body surface, while the third suffered multiple wounds and was experiencing hemorrhage," states the IGSU communiqué.

At this moment, the fire aboard the ship continues to manifest at the level of the superstructure, the vessel being anchored. For navigational safety, a warning message was issued to all vessels in the area to avoid the affected perimeter.

According to the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, the "causes" for this incident are "most likely part of the illegal aggression war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine," after emphasizing that the tanker was hit outside Romanian territorial waters.