Press Release

The Ministry of National Defence is ready to support the institutions responsible for managing the incident that occurred on the morning of July 21^st aboard the Liberian-flagged commercial vessel GAS LISBON, while it was transiting Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone. 

To this end, the Ministry has an IAR-330 Puma Naval Helicopter and two Romanian Naval Forces vessels on standby. These assets will be supplemented if necessary.

The Ministry of National Defence has issued, through the Maritime Hydrographic Directorate, a navigational warning advising vessels to avoid the area of ​​the incident. 

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It is worth recalling that on the morning of July 21, the commercial vessel GAS LISBON - a Liberian-flagged LPG tanker - sustained major damage while sailing approximately 20 nautical miles southeast of Sfântu Gheorghe. The vessel had departed from the port of Alexandria (Egypt) and was en route to Reni (Ukraine), transiting Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone, with a cargo of over 3,790 tons of propane and 17 crew members   on board.

All crew members were safely evacuated and recovered, and the injured personnel were transported to the Port of Sulina, where they were handed over to medical teams. According to Law No. 346/2006, the Romanian Armed Forces are responsible for defending the national territory, airspace, and territorial waters against military threats.

The Press Office