Turkish maritime authorities reported that the vessel, identified as the NADEZHDA (IMO: 7702657), was carrying 22 people, including 13 Turkish citizens, when it was struck. The 119-meter ro-ro ship, built in Denmark in 1978, regularly sailed between the Turkish port of Samsun and Novorossiysk.
The ship's bow and living quarters were damaged. The fire was still burning in the evening, and rescue operations had not begun due to the ongoing threat of further drone attacks. The sailors were evacuated to Novorossiysk on Russian vessels.
The ship's captain, Yalcin Sahin, claimed that Ukraine carried out the attack with 6–7 drones. There is no independent confirmation of his assertion, and Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented or claimed responsibility.
Details of the vessel's route differ. The IHA agency initially reported that the ship was heading from Samsun to Novorossiysk and was attacked about 30 nautical miles from the port. Turkey's maritime authority stated that the NADEZHDA was instead en route from Novorossiysk to Samsun, with the strike occurring roughly 20 nautical miles offshore.
The attacked vessel has a Russian namesake: a dry cargo ship also called NADEZHDA (IMO: 8611221), registered in Novorossiysk. The two are different vessels; the Russian one is an 89-meter general cargo ship that Ukraine has accused of transporting grain from occupied Berdyansk, Kerch, and Sevastopol, and it was sanctioned by Ukraine in November 2025. Its current location is not publicly known.