Four Bangladeshi sailors narrowly escaped death after Ukraine’s navy carried out a drone attack on the oil tanker MT Kairos in the Black Sea. Mahfuzul Islam, the ship’s fourth engineer from Narsingdi, told the media that several explosions ignited a fire on board, burning the lifeboat as spilled fuel spread around the vessel. Due to extreme cold and flames on the water, jumping into the sea was not an option.
The attack occurred last Friday as the tanker was crossing the Black Sea near the Turkish coast. Of the 25 crew members, four were Bangladeshi—Mahfuzul Islam, Al Amin from Kushtia, Habibur Rahman from Dhaka and Azgar Hossain from Sandwip. They are now receiving care at a hotel in Türkiye.
Mahfuzul said that at 4:46 pm local time the first drone struck the propeller, causing severe shaking. Ten minutes later, the second drone hit the fuel area, triggering an explosion and spreading flames. At the time, the tanker held 1,163 tonnes of fuel.
Though the Turkish Coast Guard was informed, they needed time to reach the vessel. A commercial ship attempted to rescue the crew with a lifeboat but failed due to the surrounding fire. Al Amin and Habibur Rahman said they had begun bidding farewell to each other fearing imminent death.
Azgar Hossain reported that he initially saw three fast-moving boats and later realised they were drones. With freezing temperatures and fire on the water, escaping into the sea was impossible. Ultimately, the Turkish Coast Guard rescued them.
The Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers’ Association stated that international bodies were contacted immediately after the attack. The shipowner and Turkish authorities provided necessary assistance. Earlier, in 2022, a Russian attack on the Bangladeshi vessel Banglar Samriddhi in Ukraine killed one engineer.
TSN