LPG tanker bound for Ukraine struck in Black Sea, three crew wounded

The Black Sea has been a regular theatre of confrontation between Ukraine and Russia since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion began in 2022

Published - July 21, 2026 03:21 pm IST – Bucharest

AFP

A strike on a ship in the Black Sea carrying propane to the Ukrainian port of Reni wounded three seafarers and forced the crew's evacuation, Romania's President said on Tuesday (July 21, 2026).

"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," Nicusor Dan said on X. While authorities were still working to establish who had hit the tanker, Dan claimed the incident was "most likely part of the Russian Federation's illegal war of aggression against Ukraine."

The strike on the ship, which was carrying more than 3,790 tonnes of propane from the port of Alexandria in Egypt, caused a major fire on board the vessel. After the strike, two Romanian rescue vessels evacuated the ship's 17 crew members, including three who "required emergency medical care," the emergency services said.

"Two victims had burns covering approximately 10-15% of their bodies, and the third had suffered multiple wounds and was bleeding," the statement said.

The Black Sea has been a regular theatre of confrontation between Ukraine and Russia since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion began in 2022. Also on Tuesday (July 21, 2026), India summoned Russia's top envoy in New Delhi to protest against a weekend attack on a cargo ship in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa that killed four Indian nationals.