BLACK SEA — A 45-year-old Philippine national sailor died after being injured in a fire on the tanker Gas Lisbon. Romanian authorities are investigating a possible link to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The tanker Gas Lisbon caught fire late Monday approximately 20 nautical miles off Romania’s Black Sea coast. The Gas Lisbon is a Liberian-flagged vessel carrying over 3,790 tons of liquefied petroleum gas. The Gas Lisbon departed from the Egyptian port of Alexandria and was headed to the Ukrainian port of Reni on the Danube River.

Romanian authorities evacuated the entire 17-member crew of the Gas Lisbon, including three injured sailors. Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations stated the incident caused major damage and a fire in the vessel’s superstructure. According to Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations, two injured sailors had burns on approximately 10–15% of their bodies and the third suffered multiple wounds.

Two other injured sailors, both Philippine nationals, are being treated in the intensive care unit of Tulcea County Hospital and are in stable condition. Tudor-Ion Năstase, director of Tulcea County Hospital, stated the sailor had a burn of the airways and a pulmonary complication related to this burn that caused his death.

Romanian President Nicolae Ciucă stated the vessel was struck while sailing toward a Ukrainian port. Two crew members stated in interviews with Romanian television network Digi24 that they believed the ship had been struck by multiple drones. Romanian President Nicolae Ciucă stated authorities would clarify the circumstances, causes, and responsibilities related to the incident.

The Gas Lisbon (IMO number 9267974) is a 120-meter-long LPG tanker built in 2002 at a Japanese shipyard, with a cargo capacity of over 8,000 cubic meters. The vessel had previously transited through Romanian territorial waters in 2024 and 2025, with documented stops in ports such as Alexandria (Egypt), Burgas (Bulgaria), and Sulina (Romania). Romanian authorities issued a navigational warning requiring vessels to maintain a 3-nautical-mile exclusion zone around the burning ship to prevent collisions.

The incident involving a commercial vessel transporting energy resources highlights the expansion of conflict into maritime supply lines. The investigation into a possible link with Russia’s war against Ukraine suggests the incident may be part of broader hostilities affecting neutral shipping in the Black Sea.