Black Sea sailors thought a rescue boat was racing toward them.
asserted
boat → think → them
Instead, it was a drone that sank their ship
Nearly 50 commercial vessels were struck in the Black Sea in October alone, according to maritime analysts
In the early hours of Oct. 13, the crew from the HS Dignity gathered on the deck of the cargo ship and put on life jackets as the vessel rocked in the churning waves of the Black Sea.
uncertain
vessel → sink → Sea
The captain had given the order to abandon the vessel because it was sinking after a sea drone struck its hull.
asserted
drone → give → hull
As the 16-man crew, made up of Syrian and Egyptian nationals, peered into the darkness, they spotted the outline of a boat moving quickly toward them.
asserted
they → make → them
They shone their flashlights, thinking rescuers might have already responded to their distress call.
uncertain
rescuers → shine → call
But what they saw alarmed them.
asserted
saw → see → them
No one was driving the boat.
asserted
one → drive → boat
“We realized that this boat was also part of the group that was attacking us.
asserted
that → realize → us
Of course, we all ran,” said Ashraf Mamdouh, the vessel's 42-year-old chief officer.
asserted
Mamdouh → run → ?
The sea drone rammed directly into the ship.
asserted
drone → ram → ship
“The vessel began sinking rapidly into the water.
asserted
vessel → begin → water
The whole crew was falling to the deck; nobody could stand properly because of the impact and the chaos,” he said.
uncertain
he → fall → impact
“We didn't have time to finish launching the lifeboats.”
asserted
We → have → lifeboats
The Dignity is one of nearly 50 commercial vessels that maritime analysts say have been attacked in the Black Sea this month as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates at sea.
asserted
conflict → say → sea
The strikes have brought much of the traffic through the key shipping corridor to a halt and prompted NATO to step up maritime security, including by deploying more patrol boats and radar.
More than 30 killed or missing
At least 31 seafarers have been killed or are missing in the attacks.
asserted
seafarers → bring → attacks
Many of the vessels that were recently attacked were travelling through the western Black Sea, including some that were struck off the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.
asserted
that → attack → members
On Friday, a search-and-rescue operation was underway after a ship flagged to Comoros, a small archipelago off the coast of East Africa, was struck by drones just outside Romania's territorial waters.
asserted
ship → flag → waters
The crew of 13 included Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors.
asserted
crew → include → sailors
One body has been recovered, while officials say three people remain missing.
asserted
people → recover → ?
Romanian President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for the attacks.
asserted
Dan → blame → attacks
Data shared with CBC News by maritime risk management firm Ambrey suggest there have been more than 500 attacks on commercial vessels this year in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, which are connected by the narrow Kerch Strait.
asserted
which → share → Strait
Of the 45 attacks recorded in October, Ambrey believes Russia was responsible for 40.
asserted
Russia → record → 40
Russia's Ministry of Defence has acknowledged striking dozens of ships this month alone in social media posts, almost always claiming the vessels were supporting Ukraine's military.
But Mamdouh, who spoke to CBC News from a hotel in Varna, Bulgaria, said the Dignity had sailed from Algeria and was headed for Romania, where it was scheduled to pick up grain.
asserted
it → acknowledge → grain
Ashraf Mamdouh, the chief officer aboard the HS Dignity, arrives in Varna, Bulgaria, on Oct. 13 after his ship sank when it was hit by two sea drones.
asserted
it → arrive → drones
Adrift in the Black Sea
The Dignity had already been at sea for more than a month when the drones struck at about 1:30 a.m.
Mamdouh and other experienced crew members urged everyone aboard to get as far away from the ship as possible to avoid being pulled under as the 123-metre vessel sank beneath the churning waves.
asserted
vessel → strike → waves
“We tried to gather together to reduce everyone's fear and panic.
asserted
We → try → fear
We wanted to remain in one group so that, if a rescue team arrived, it would be easier for them to rescue as many people as possible,” Mamdouh said.
asserted
Mamdouh → want → people
This undated image of the HS Dignity shows the ship before it sank in the Black Sea on Oct. 13.
asserted
it → show → Oct.
He began calling out to other crew members, but the strong winds drowned out their voices.
asserted
winds → begin → voices
“I started asking everyone, ‘Why are you moving away from each other?’
asserted
you → start → other
I hadn't realized that I was drifting away, too.
asserted
I → realize → ?
The sea currents were separating us.”
asserted
currents → separate → us
At one point, a life raft suddenly appeared beside him.
asserted
raft → appear → him
He climbed aboard and lay there for four hours, until another commercial vessel appeared nearby.
asserted
vessel → climb → hours
Still clutching his cellphone, he switched on its flashlight to attract the attention of the crew aboard the Azov Concord.
asserted
he → clutch → Concord
Cargo ships are seen in the Black Sea from Port Varna, in Varna, eastern Bulgaria on October 13.
asserted
ships → see → October
18-year-old among the missing
Mamdouh was pulled from the water and is one of five crew members who survived.
asserted
who → miss → members
Eleven remain officially listed as missing, including 18-year-old Hamza Suleiman, a Syrian who was on his first voyage aboard a ship.
asserted
who → list → ship
“The last phone call between Hamza and me was on the night of Oct. 12,” said his father, Basel, who spoke to CBC News via Zoom from Tartus, Syria.
asserted
who → say → Tartus
“Hamza contacted us and said hi to his mother and reassured us.
asserted
Hamza → contact → us
…and 37 more, not listed.
The Aporia
