According to preliminary information, all of the Georgians on board the vessel, which sailed under the Maltese flag, were rescued, News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.
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The wife of one of the crew members, Nincho Surmanidze, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the crew had been transferred to another vessel and that the sailors’ lives were not in danger.
“I spoke with him around midnight — everything was calm then. Later he called at about 2:30 a.m. and quickly said: ‘Everyone is alive, everyone has been rescued.’ In the morning we spoke again — a drone hit their tanker, everything burned,” she said.
According to Surmanidze, her husband had been working on the vessel for about six months and was expected to return to Georgia on March 10, but the voyage was delayed due to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
Georgia’s Maritime Transport Agency and the country’s Foreign Ministry have not yet responded to journalists’ requests regarding the condition of the Georgian sailors and their possible return home. Officials said they were clarifying the details.
Media reports say the Zefyros was attacked together with another tanker, Safesea Vishnu, which sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands. Iran has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Reports indicate that explosive devices may have been used against the vessels. They were allegedly delivered by boats and detonated remotely, while drones may also have been involved.
Iraqi authorities said 38 sailors were rescued from the attacked tankers and confirmed that at least one person was killed.
