Turkish Seafarer Dies After Drone Hits Ship That Rescued Him From Earlier Black Sea Attack

A Turkish sailor who survived a drone attack on a cargo ship was killed three days later when the vessel that rescued him was also hit by a drone near Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, according to Turkish media reports and his family.

Ilker Lazoglu, 47, was the head cook on the San Marino-flagged cargo ship Necibe. The vessel was attacked by drones on Aug. 18 while loading wheat off Tuapse. All 18 crew members left the ship and were rescued by the Turkish-owned, Cameroon-flagged ro-ro vessel Ural.

On Aug. 21, the Ural was also attacked near Novorossiysk. Lazoglu was seriously wounded and later died. Eight other crew members were injured, Turkish media reported.

The Ural reached Samsun on Aug. 22 with Lazoglu’s body and the injured sailors. His remains were handed over to his family, while the injured crew members were taken to hospitals.

Lazoglu survived the first attack

Lazoglu’s uncle, Faruk Lazoglu, said his nephew called him after the Necibe was attacked.

“He was head cook on the Necibe. He called me when the ship was bombed. He told me not to worry, that he was alive,” his uncle said.

Lazoglu told him another ship would arrive to rescue the crew and that he would move to that vessel.

Two days later, the family could no longer reach him. Faruk Lazoglu said he contacted a company official, who told him Lazoglu was safe and would be flown home.

The family later learned that he had been transferred to the Ural.

A company official then called the uncle in the evening and told him that the Ural had also been attacked and Lazoglu had been seriously wounded.

Faruk Lazoglu said he had spoken to his nephew during the attack on the Ural.

“He said, ‘Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong, stay calm. No one has been hurt right now,'” the uncle said.

The family later lost contact with him. The next morning, they learned that he had died.

Lazoglu had worked on ships for around 10 to 15 years. He lived in Istanbul and had two daughters, his uncle said. His family was based in Samsun.

Two ships attacked within three days

The Necibe, IMO 9548732, was attacked on Aug. 18 while loading 20,000 tonnes of wheat off Tuapse, according to the reports.

Its 18 crew members were rescued by the Ural, IMO 7725386. The Ural is an older ro-ro cargo ship owned by a Turkish company and registered in Cameroon.

On Aug. 21, while still in the area, the Ural was hit by a drone near Novorossiysk.

Eight crew members were injured and Lazoglu was killed after suffering serious wounds.

Turkish newspaper Dünya reported his death on Aug. 22. Other Turkish media, including Cumhuriyet and Hurriyet, also reported details of the attacks and comments from his family.

The Ural later returned to Türkiye. It reached waters off Samsun with tugboat escorts before docking at the port. Lazoglu’s body was handed over to his family and the injured sailors were taken to hospitals by ambulance.

Commercial shipping faces risks in Black Sea

Ukraine has carried out long-range strikes against Russian ports and shipping that it suspects of transporting Russian cargoes, according to the supplied reports.

The country has warned shipping companies to stay away from Russian Black Sea ports, saying the area is dangerous.

Naryman Dzhelialov, Ukraine’s ambassador to Ankara, told Turkish outlet Yetkin Report that civilians were not the target of Ukrainian attacks but had become victims of the war.

“Before Russia attacked Ukraine, the Black Sea was a zone of peace. The Black Sea is not a safe place. Shipowners need to take this into account as well,” he said.

Russian officials have condemned attacks on civilian ships belonging to other countries and accused Ukraine of carrying out terrorist acts. Russia has also carried out strikes against Ukrainian Black Sea ports and shipping that it says is handling imports for the Ukrainian military.

References: turkiyetoday, apokalypsnu