Dominican Navy clarifies status of the vessel Progress IV following incident in the Black Sea
The Dominican Republic Navy has addressed international reports linking the country to the merchant vessel Progress IV, which recently sank in the Black Sea. Vice Admiral Juan Bienvenido Crisóstomo Martínez, the institution’s commander general, categorically denied that the vessel holds Dominican registration.
This clarification arises following reports circulated after the shipwreck of the vessel, which was allegedly the target of a drone attack while sailing toward the Turkish port of Tekirdag. Although various international sources and the Romanian Naval Authority had identified the Progress IV as a ship under the flag of the Dominican Republic, the Dominican naval leadership has denied any registration link to the vessel.
Incident details and rescue operation
The Progress IV was carrying a cargo consisting of 199 containers of sugar and more than 5,600 tons of clay when it suffered structural damage that led to a fire. The incident occurred in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, about 15 nautical miles from Sfântu Gheorghe.
The rapid response of the emergency teams allowed for the rescue of all 12 crew members, consisting of Ukrainian and Azerbaijani citizens. Only one minor injury was reported, consisting of a broken arm, in one of the crew members.
Ongoing research
- Romanian authorities are keeping an investigation open to determine the exact causes of the incident.
- The possibility of a drone attack is being analyzed, in the context of the war tensions affecting the Black Sea region.
- There is a technical discrepancy between the records of the Romanian authorities and the official position of the Dominican Navy, which points to a possible confusion in the documentation or flag of the vessel.
For his part, the Romanian president, Nicușor Dan, confirmed the impact on the vessel, although he emphasized that investigations are ongoing to establish the authorship and motives behind the attack. Alofoke Deportes will continue to follow this case as international maritime authorities clarify the details regarding the ship’s registration.
