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Towed ship sank after drone damage - body of captain recovered
The 'Safi M' took the drone-damaged cargo m/v 'Noran' (IMO: 9175822) with the body of the Captain Abdel Aziz Salama and a cargo of 8100 tons coal on board in tow from Sochi to Samsun, but the ships were battling a violent storm in the Black Sea. The ships were drifting away from the port, prompting an urgent distress call from the Egyptian captain Youssef Othman Abu Steit, seeking assistance to save the ships and deliver the body. It was planned to offload the cargo and carry out necessary repairs, as well as to hand over the captain's body for repatriation to Egypt. The captain brought the two vessels to within approximately 20 miles of the port of Samsun on Sep 22, and was awaiting instructions for entry and the completion of necessary procedures. A severe storm struck on the morning of Sep 23. Intensifying winds and waves hampered the movement of the 'Safi M' and the vessel tethered alongside it. At 6:00 p.m., a distress call way issued, after waves had swept the two vessels nearly 100 nautical miles away from Samsun, bringing them close to the port of Trabzon, where they came to a halt about 40 miles offshore. The two vessels were violently slamming against each other due to the high waves, raising fears that the ships get damaged, or that the tow lines might snap. Wind and wave conditions made heading back to Samsun extremely dangerous, Captain Youssef stated that his primary concern was his responsibility regarding the body and his desire to hand it over in Turkey, enabling the family to finalise procedures for repatriation to Egypt and claim his financial entitlements. According to his account, the owning company had failed to complete port entry procedures in time, despite his warnings about the approaching storm. Captain El-Shazly—head of the Marine Officers' Syndicate and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) representative in Egypt intervened to liaise with the owning company. The coordination between the company, Russian and Turkish authorities, and the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been underway since the towing operation began, and the approvals were specifically tied to the port of Samsun. The ship's entry into the port required a Turkish committee to board and inspect the vessel for explosive residue from the attack and to verify its safety before the body could be brought ashore. The port of Trabzon—located near the two ships—is a fishing port rather than a commercial one equipped to unload coal cargo; furthermore, the necessary security permits for the ships to enter that port were lacking. Consequently, the company instructed the captain to redirect the ship to the port of Samsun, despite the challenging weather conditions. Captain Youssef revealed that after reaching the stricken vessel and towing it away from the danger zone, he inspected the damage. He found that the upper deck—including the bridge and crew cabins—had been completely destroyed by drone attacks. He also reported finding another damaged foreign vessel near the 'Noran's location; it had been attacked at the same time and remained on-site, with its owner having made no attempt to tow it away such as many damaged vessels were being abandoned in the Black Sea because some companies made no effort to recover them, and because some sailors refused to return to them for fear of further attacks. The crew of the 'Safi M' stood by the captain when he informed them of the mission to tow the 'Noran', expressing their readiness to sail with him despite the risks. Meanwhile, Captain El-Shazly intervened to follow up on the situation with the owning company, demanding the swift completion of necessary procedures to ensure the safety of the crew and both vessels, as well as the handover of the deceased’s body. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had previously announced it was overseeing the procedures to repatriate the body of the deceased, Al-Saeed Salama, in coordination with the Egyptian Consulate in Istanbul and the Embassy in Ankara. The 'Noran' sank despite all rescue efforts after having been towed over 100 miles on Sep 26 off the Turkish coast. The body of the Captain could, however, be handed over to the Turkish authorities.
Detention in Tuapse
The 'Safi M' was detained in Tuapse on Sep 1, 2026, with ten detainable deficiencies: 10135 - Safety of Navigation - Monitoring of voyage or passage plan - no responsibility of RO; 10199 - Safety of Navigation - Other (navigation) - no responsibility of RO; 13102 - Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Auxiliary engine - no responsibility of RO; 13199 - Propulsion and auxiliary machinery - Other (machinery) - no responsibility of RO; 14105 - Pollution prevention - Marpol Annex I - Pumping, piping and discharge arrangements - no responsibility of RO; 15150 - ISM - ISM - no responsibility of RO; 2106 - Structural Conditions - Hull damage impairing seaworthiness - no responsibility of RO; 5109 - Radio Communications - VHF radio installation - no responsibility of RO; 7106 - Fire safety - Fire detection and alarm system - no responsibility of RO; 7126 - Fire safety - Oil accumulation in engine room - no responsibility of RO. The ship was released again on Sep 3.
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