Three people were injured after a fire broke out overnight from Monday to Tuesday aboard the Gas Lisbon, a Liberia-flagged vessel in the Black Sea, approximately 14 nautical miles off Sfantu Gheorghe, the Romanian Naval Authority (ANR) informs on Tuesday.

According to the authority, all 17 crew members were safely evacuated into liferafts and rescued by the search and rescue vessel SAR Apollo.

'At midnight on July 21, 2026, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Constanta, a unit of the Romanian Naval Authority, received a distress alert from the Liberia-flagged vessel Gas Lisbon, reporting that it was in difficulty following a fire on board. The alert was confirmed both by radio messages and through the Cospas-Sarsat system. The vessel was located approximately 14 nautical miles off Sfantu Gheorghe,' the ANR said in a press release.

Immediately after receiving the alert, MRCC Constanta coordinated the rescue operation, deploying the search and rescue vessels SAR Apollo and SAR Artemis, operated by the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM), along with other available response assets.

Because of the distance from shore, direct communication with the vessel proved difficult, with information being relayed via a nearby ship.

'A navigational warning was issued advising all vessels in the area to maintain a minimum distance of three nautical miles from the site of the fire,' the press release said.

Two of the three seafarers injured in the fire aboard the Liberia-flagged vessel off Sulina suffered burns to 10-15% of their bodies, while the third sustained multiple wounds and was suffering from haemorrhaging.

Following the evacuation, the SAR Apollo proceeded to the Port of Sulina.

'To reduce the response time, the 'Delta' Emergency Situations Inspectorate of Tulcea County deployed a multi-purpose rescue boat and a medical team to receive the casualties and transport them to the Emergency Department of Tulcea County Hospital. At the same time, the coordinating physician ordered a rendezvous between the medical teams so that the transfer of the casualties and the provision of medical care could be carried out as quickly as possible,' the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) said in a press release.

The fire on board the vessel continues to burn in the superstructure, while the ship remains at anchor. To ensure the safety of navigation, a warning message has been issued to all vessels in the area advising them to avoid the affected zone. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nona Jalba; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)

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