There are no more flames on the commercial ship that was hit in the Black Sea, but access to the ship is still not possible.
The helicopter that flew over the area where the commercial ship affected by the fire in the Black Sea was located noted that the fire had extinguished, but the temperatures on board the tanker are still high, hindering access to the vessel, the Romanian Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) announced on Wednesday.
"Today (editor's note - Wednesday), a helicopter belonging to the General Aviation Inspectorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted an aerial reconnaissance mission in the area where the commercial ship affected by the fire in the Black Sea is located.
During the flyover, the crew assessed the situation using the aircraft's thermal imaging system. Following the checks, it was found that the fire no longer manifests with open flames, but high temperatures are still recorded in the affected area," DSU informs.
In these conditions, access to the ship "cannot be safely achieved at this time, and it is necessary to continue monitoring the situation until the risks decrease," the institution specifies.
A new aerial reconnaissance mission is planned for Thursday if weather conditions allow, and based on the evaluation results, the necessary operational measures will be established.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation continuously and will inform the public based on its evolution, DSU further states.
The commercial ship Gas Lisbon, loaded with nearly 4 thousand tons of propane and flying the Liberian flag, was hit on Monday night in the Black Sea, about 20 nautical miles (37 km) southeast of the town of Sfântu Gheorghe. A strong fire broke out on board.
The entire crew was safely evacuated by Romanian rescue vessels, with three sailors being injured and transported to the Tulcea County Hospital.
The Free Union of Navigators, cited by News.ro, stated on Tuesday afternoon that the ship had been hit by two rockets, but crew members reported that the tanker was hit by drones.
According to information provided by Romanian authorities, the Gas Lisbon ship departed from the port of Alexandria (Egypt) and was heading to Reni (Ukraine), transiting through Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone.