Drone-Struck Containership RMS Team Declared Total Loss

The 1,100 TEU containership RMS Team has been declared a constructive total loss following extensive fire damage caused by a drone strike. The Akkon Lines-operated vessel was hit on 21 August while sailing towards the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The attack sparked a fire onboard, forcing the crew to abandon ship, with one seafarer reported missing. Despite the damage, RMS Team was later recovered and towed to the Turkish Black Sea port of Samsun, arriving roughly a week after the incident. Images circulated on social media showed severe fire damage to the vessel's superstructure, with the destruction extending forward towards several rows of containers and further affecting areas behind the wheelhouse and accommodation block. Following an assessment of the damage, the containership has now been declared a constructive total loss, meaning insurers and owners have determined that repairing or recovering the vessel is no longer economically viable relative to its insured value. RMS Team, operated by Turkish carrier Akkon Lines, has a capacity of approximately 1,100 TEU. The incident adds to a series of attacks affecting merchant shipping in the Black Sea, underscoring the heightened risks facing vessels calling at Russian ports amid ongoing regional tensions.