BUCHAREST, May 18. /TASS/. The Tanzanian-flagged vessel Mohammad-Z sank in the Black Sea near the Romanian coast, the Romanian Maritime Administration said in a statement.

The ship sank 26 nautical miles from the Romanian town of Sfantu Gheorghe. The administration said it received an alarm signal at around 4:00 a.m. and sent out the ships Artemis and Apollo to the area. Two border police vessels and two nearby merchant vessels also headed to the scene.

The crew of the Mohammad-Z consisted of 11 people, nine Syrian nationals and two Egyptians, the statement said. Eight of them were rescued by the merchant vessel Michel, which was nearest to the shipwreck area. The search for the other three crew members, who are Syrian nationals, is ongoing.

"The cause of the accident is not yet known," the administration said. "An investigation will be conducted in order to clarify the causes and circumstances of the disaster.".