Albanian engineer missing after drone attack on Black Sea vessel

The family of Erkan Nika, a 28-year-old Albanian engineer, is appealing to the Albanian government and international authorities to assist in locating him following a drone attack on a Turkish cargo ship.

Nika was serving as a second engineer on the vessel ‘Aroyat’ when it was attacked in the Black Sea near the port of Novorossiysk on September 27. While 15 crew members were successfully rescued, Nika is the only individual reported missing from the 16-person crew.

His father, Rexh Nika, has requested that health institutions, police, and relevant authorities in Russia, Georgia, and other Black Sea coastal regions check their records for unidentified patients or individuals found in coastal areas. The family, which has lived in Turkey since 1997, is seeking official state involvement to clarify his fate.