A reefer ship, THORN1, became stranded in the Gulf of Aden at the start of the month. One Ukrainian crew member reportedly died before rescue.
The ship was en route from Turkey to India to be disassembled but came adrift roughly five kilometers off the coast of Djibouti, without power. Odesa publication Dumskaya reported that the accident was caused by a lack of fuel and equipment malfunction.
Eleven crew members were originally aboard the ship, 10 of whom are citizens of Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Interfax Ukraine that the dead passenger is an electrical engineer. The media reported that the man was from the southern Ukrainian town of Ochakiv and succumbed to heat stroke.
Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said that the Ukrainian government is awaiting confirmation about the cause of death from Djibouti authorities. He said that one other Ukrainian citizen was transported ashore to get medical assistance.
Only two crew members were allowed to leave the ship. The rest had to stay on board. Rescue services are providing the crew with food and medical assistance. The ship will be repaired and return to Ukraine, Nikolenko said.
The ship is owned by a Greek company, Liga.net reported. The vessel reportedly changed its name and registration shortly before the accident.
“My father got sick on Tuesday. The doctor got to them in five hours, but in the end he could not find a reason to release him on shore,” Alexandra Korovnik, daughter of a ship cook, said in an interview with Dumskaya.
