Two people were reported to have died and 10 were rescued after cargo ship Volgo-Balt 179 (IMO 8231019) sank in the Black Sea off Romania, some 70nm from Constants, early on Thursday March 11th.
Romanian offshore services company GSP Offshore said that its GSP Falcon offshore vessel had received a distress call from the cargo ship at 04:40 on March 11th.
GSP said that the rescue operation started in extremely difficult weather conditions. “The last message sent by Volgo Balt 179 was the abandonment of the ship. So far, 10 sailors have been rescued. They are safely on board the GSP Falcon. Two people died. At the same time, another person is being searched for in the sea,“ GSP Offshore said.
Romanian news website Playtec reported that the vessel had been en route to the Romanian port of Constanta, most likely sank due to the very strong storm.
In a subsequent update, GSP Offshore confirmed the sinking of the Volgo Balt 179 and said that the crew consisted of 12 men and one woman, all Ukrainian citizens.
“The 10 rescued people are in the hospital of the GSP Falcon ship and are receiving all the necessary care. One crew member has not been found so far. The rescue operation continues,” GSP Offshore said.
The only woman on board was being treated for injuries but was in stable condition.
1973-built, Comoros-flagged, 2,457 gt Volgo-Balt 179 is owned by Comet Shipping Inc care of manager Seatrans Co Ltd-Nikolayev of Nikolayev, Ukraine.
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