World

Syria Demands Investigation After Cargo Ship Sinks in Black Sea

By Al Jazeera Staff

Syria has called for an independent and transparent investigation into the sinking of the Togolese‑flagged cargo ship Alfa Watan in the Black Sea. The vessel, which was operating in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, went down early on Tuesday amid a rise in drone strikes on Black Sea shipping during the Russia‑Ukraine war. Ten crew members, nine Syrians and one Egyptian, remain unaccounted for.

Mazen Aloush of Syria’s port authority asked the International Maritime Organization and Bulgarian authorities to determine why a search and rescue mission was halted before the missing sailors were found. "Their fate is still unknown," Aloush said, adding that the reasons for suspending the rescue operations must be established.

The same attack also set ablaze the Palau‑flagged vessel Able, from which eighteen Turkish and Indian crew members were rescued. Both ships were managed by Turkey‑based companies, according to the Equasis merchant shipping database.

The Syrian sailors’ union reported that contact with the ship’s crew had been lost and no survivors were found after the search was stopped. Aloush condemned the targeting of a civilian commercial vessel as a serious breach of maritime security and a threat to sailors. He said the Syrian General Authority for Ports and Customs was closely monitoring the incident and urged authorities to use all available technical means to locate and inspect the wreckage to determine the cause of the sinking. He also called on international and maritime bodies to strengthen measures to protect commercial shipping as attacks in the Black Sea increase.