Three wounded in strike on Ukraine-bound LPG tanker off Romania in the Black Sea

Three wounded in strike on Ukraine: anker in Black Sea Poinews.com – A significant maritime incident occurred in the Black Sea when a propane-carrying

Three Wounded in Strike on Ukraine-Bound LPG Tanker in Black Sea

Poinews.com – A significant maritime incident occurred in the Black Sea when a propane-carrying vessel bound for Ukraine was hit, resulting in three crew members being injured. According to an official statement released by Romanian President Nicușor Dan on Tuesday, the LPG tanker Gas Lisbon, which was flying the Liberian flag, sustained damage outside Romanian territorial waters. The vessel was struck approximately 20 nautical miles off the Romanian coast while en route to the Ukrainian port of Reni, situated on the Danube River near the Romanian border.

President Dan shared details of the incident in a post on X, stating: “Last night, the LPG tanker Gas Lisbon, flying the Liberian flag, was struck outside Romanian territorial waters, approximately 20 nautical miles off the Romanian coast.” Emergency response vessels from the Romanian Agency for the Salvage of Human Life at Sea quickly arrived at the scene and successfully evacuated the entire crew, including the three injured members. All personnel were brought safely to shore following the evacuation operation.

Investigation Underway for Possible Russian Attack

Romanian state authorities have been fully mobilized to conduct comprehensive investigations into the incident. President Dan emphasized that investigators will determine the exact “circumstances, causes and responsibilities” related to what he characterized as a “serious incident.” The Romanian leader expressed his belief that the attack was “most likely” a crime perpetrated by Russia, though formal conclusions are pending. The vessel had departed from the Egyptian port city of Alexandria carrying more than 3,790 tonnes of propane when the strikes reportedly caused a major fire on board the ship.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks continue to pummel Ukrainian cities on a daily basis as the Kremlin intensifies pressure and shows no signs of easing its military campaign, which has now entered its fifth year. Ukrainian officials reported that the Kremlin carried out strikes on multiple cities overnight into Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Ukraine’s Air Force announced it had intercepted 46 of 58 drones fired across the border from Russia, marking the latest barrage in what has become an intensified offensive.

The drone attacks targeted numerous areas across Ukraine, including Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and the industrial eastern Donbas region. The Donbas area has been majority occupied by Russia for years and constitutes roughly 22% of the country’s territory. Local officials reported that attacks in Kherson killed one regional administration employee, while another woman sustained what were described as “fatal injuries.” In other locations, strikes in Chernihiv and Sumy caused major fires to erupt, prompting local response teams to intervene and extinguish the blazes.

Kyiv has simultaneously launched its own counteroffensive operations, with Ukrainian media detailing that attacks on Russia’s western city of Lipetsk caused fires to break out at industrial facilities in the early hours of Tuesday. Lipetsk Regional Governor Igor Artamonov confirmed that a fire had broken out and noted that authorities have launched an investigation to determine the causes, though he declined to confirm that an attack had taken place. The complex in question is the NLMK steel plant, located about 400 kilometres east of Ukraine’s border, and represents Russia’s largest steel producer, accounting for approximately 20% of the country’s steel output.

Ukrainian media say the plant supplies steel to companies involved in missile production for the Russian military.

This maritime incident involving the LPG tanker adds another dimension to the ongoing conflict, demonstrating how the war continues to affect international shipping routes and commercial vessels in the Black Sea region. The three wounded in strike on Ukraine incident highlights the broader impact of hostilities beyond direct combat zones, affecting civilian infrastructure and international trade corridors.