A barge with over 1,100 tons of chemical fertilizer sank in the Danube near the town of Zimnicea
Photo source: Facebook / Zimnicea City Hall
A barge loaded with 1,133 tons of nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers sank on January 10 on the Danube, near Zimnicea. Romanian Water representatives took samples from the water to check the level of pollution. The Zimnicea city hall reported that the area is “out of any danger”.
The barge Phoenix Jupiter is under the Slovak flag, and the shipowner is Straman DOO, said Florin Oprea, the director of Căpitănia Giurgiu, for G4media.
The ship ran aground on December 20, 2025, took on water, and sank on January 10.
“It was loaded with nitrogen fertilizers, it hit the land, which is a common phenomenon in river navigation, and probably as a result of this hit the ship suffered damage, a water hole. It is certain that after that hit it started to take on water heavily and later sank. The cargo is loose, it is not in bags or on pallets, it is loose, put in the warehouse, the ship is completely submerged,” Florin Oprea told G4media.
The head of the Captaincy Giurgiu specified that the shipowner was informed that he had 10 days to clean the place.
Regarding the incident, the representatives of the Zimnicea City Hall said on Facebook that the failure of the barge does not endanger the city.
“The mayor of the city of Zimnicea, Mr. Petre Pârvu, informs the citizens that the failure of the barge Phoenix Jupiter does not endanger our city in any way. The barge Phoenix Jupiter, belonging to a Romanian shipowner, failed on December 20, 2025, on December 21, arriving near the city of Zimnicea. The ship is loaded with a quantity of 1133 tons of chemical fertilizers,” Zimnicea City Hall reported on Facebook.
According to the mayor's office, starting last week, the barge started taking on water, currently being submerged.
“The competent bodies constantly monitor the situation, including the risk of pollution, the daily investigations show that there was no pollution of the Danube waters. We also inform the citizens that the circulation and transport on the Danube is not affected”, the Mayor of Zimnicea said.
