Five individuals were rescued from the merchant vessel HS Dignity, which sank on Tuesday in the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast, the head of the Egyptian Maritime System and representative of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) in Egypt, Captain Al-Sayed al-Shazly al-Naggar announced Tuesday.
He noted that the vessel was en route from Algeria to the port of Braila in Romania, carrying a crew of 16 sailors, including 14 Syrians and two Egyptians.
The head of the Marine Officers’ Syndicate said that 11 sailors remain missing amidst ongoing intensive search operations; Captain Ashraf Mamdouh survived, while Captain Mustafa al-Ghazy is missing.
He reported that the vessel was struck by drones and bombs in the Black Sea, causing it to sink—an incident separate from the attack targeting the Chelsea 3.
He noted that both vessels were attacked simultaneously in the same area – one sank, while the other survived.
Naggar also pointed out that the Bulgarian Prime Minister condemned the attacks as “absolutely unacceptable,” and announced plans to contact NATO and the European Union for assistance.
The President of the European Commission warned that the Black Sea has become a “new front” in the conflict and condemned the attacks on commercial vessels.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm