BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 16. A ship with 13 people from Azerbaijan and Türkiye on board has encountered a critical situation in the Black Sea’s Kerch Strait, prompting the crew to issue a distress signal, the Russian Trade Union of Seafarers told TASS, Trend reports.
"The crew of the Lady Fortune, owned by a Turkish shipowner and flying the Sierra Leone flag, contacted us. A few days ago, they departed from Kerch, intending to head to Türkiye. However, this has now become impossible as water supplies are almost exhausted, food is running low, and the ship’s technical condition has worsened due to severe weather conditions. Furthermore, their employer has not paid their salaries for the past six months," the union said.
The crew consists of 13 people, including one from Türkiye and the rest from Azerbaijan.
"They are currently stranded in the Kerch Strait and have issued a distress signal, not due to bad weather, but because they are starving. Unable to reach the international seafarers’ union, they have contacted us for assistance," the Russian seafarers' union reported.