An Iranian-flagged cargo ship, Rona, sank in the Caspian Sea on January 14, but all 14 people on board were rescued, according to Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry said that Turkmenistan’s coast guard received a distress signal from the dry cargo vessel while it was sailing in the Caspian Sea. Emergency response teams were quickly sent to the area and successfully rescued everyone on board.

Authorities stated that the operation was carried out in accordance with international maritime and navigation rules. Preliminary information showed that the rescued crew members were citizens of Iran and India.

Officials added that after the rescue, standard procedures required under international maritime law were being carried out by the Turkmen authorities. No injuries were reported among the crew.

The cause of the incident has not been officially confirmed. However, unverified videos shared on Ukrainian social media appeared to show damage to the middle section of the ship, with smoke visible.

The vessel also appeared to be sitting low at the stern before it sank. These images have not been independently verified.

The Rona regularly operated between Iranian ports such as Amirabad and Anzali and Russian ports including Astrakhan, Makhachkala and Azov.

Per reports, the ship had called at Russian ports around 20 times between October 2024 and December 2025. At the time of the incident, the vessel was reportedly on a voyage to Astrakhan.

Media investigations have linked similar shipping routes across the Caspian Sea to suspected Iranian arms deliveries to Russia, although Turkmen authorities did not provide any information about the cargo carried by the Rona.

A 2023 investigation by The Wall Street Journal reported that Russian and Iranian vessels had used the Caspian Sea to transport ammunition and other military supplies during the war in Ukraine.

Separately, Western security assessments cited by Bloomberg previously stated that arms contracts between Iran and Russia, signed from October 2021, included missile and air defence systems valued at about $2.7 billion.

Ukraine has also previously reported carrying out operations against logistics routes linked to Iranian weapons supplies.

In August 2025, Ukrainian forces said they struck the Olya port in Russia’s Astrakhan region, which they described as a major hub for importing military equipment from Iran.

Ukrainian special operations units were also reported to have targeted vessels transporting weapons and military equipment in the Caspian Sea.

References: united24media, tass