Three Indians saved from attacked Black Sea vessel depart Romania for India

Three Indian nationals rescued from the attacked commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea have departed Romania for India after receiving assistance from the Indian Embassy. India also condemned attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea and thanked Romanian authorities for their support.

Bucharest:  Three Indian nationals rescued from the commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov, which came under attack in the Black Sea, departed from Romania for India on Saturday, the Embassy of India in Bucharest said.

“Three Indian nationals, Shri Sahil Sandhu, Shri Ashwini Kumar and Shri Harman Singh, departed for India today. The Embassy provided all necessary support and assistance to facilitate their return,” the Embassy posted on X.

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“We express our sincere gratitude to the Romanian authorities, Constanta County Hospital, and the Romanian rescue teams for their invaluable assistance, cooperation and support,” it added.

The three Indians were rescued from the vessel on Tuesday. On Wednesday, an Embassy representative visited them, two of whom were accommodated at a hotel while the third was undergoing treatment at the County Hospital in Constanta.

“The Embassy assured them of all necessary assistance and support for their safe and early departure from Romania. Essential items, including mobile phones, were facilitated through the shipping company’s local agent, while Indian food was arranged through a local Indian restaurant,” the Embassy had said on Wednesday.

“The Embassy representative also met with the local police authorities, the shipping company’s agent and treating medical doctors to coordinate further assistance,” it had added.

On the same day, India condemned attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Black Sea region and reiterated its call for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate tensions and enable an early return of peace in the region.

Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that attacks targeting commercial vessels threaten commercial shipping and endanger the lives of the seafaring community.

“We have seen a string of attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Black Sea region in the last one or two days. We condemn such attacks that threaten commercial shipping and endanger lives of our seafaring community. First, the commercial vessel MV Royad Mammadov came under attack while it was flying in the Black Sea. There were three Indian nationals onboard. All of them are safe, but one of them got injured, and he is receiving treatment. We thank the Romanian authorities who lent us a helping hand and have been very helpful in this particular incident,” Jaiswal added.