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News DeskTechnologyTwo Vessels Ablaze Off Romania's Black Sea Coast
Verified Curriculum CorpusPublished: Today
Technology·CEFR B2·Upper Intermediate

Wine Trader tanker catches fire in Black Sea waters

Article Level ·●B2·Upper Intermediate
3 min read·185 words·Audio: 1:25
AI-generated illustration (not a photograph) of the setting of this story: Wine Trader tanker catches fire in Black Sea waters
AI-generated with Meta Muse Image on OpenRouter · owned by newstoenglish
Studio Audio Available
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Studio Narration
00:0001:25
Reading PassageRead-along: word by word (UK)
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A fire broke out overnight on the Wine Trader, a tanker that flies the San Marino flag. The ship was in Romanian territorial waters. Seven of its twelve crew members are missing. Five sailors were rescued. The vessel had been near the Sulina Canal mouth, where the Danube River meets the Black Sea. This area is a common anchorage for ships waiting due to weather or A second vessel called Yara J, registered in Comoros, caught fire in the same area. Its entire crew survived. Romanian officials have not confirmed whether Russian drones caused the fires. However, an investigation is In the preceding ten days, drone attacks struck at least five other cargo vessels near the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts. At least 23 sailors were killed. Rescue operations for the missing Wine Trader crew were because of very large waves. Romania shares a 614-kilometre border with Ukraine. Over four years, Russian unmanned aircraft have entered its airspace repeatedly. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said EU leaders would discuss a proposed on attacks against civilian ships at their summit in Brussels.

Study this lesson

Activities for CEFR B2, all based on the story above.

1. Grammar focus

One structure from the story, explained, with sentences taken from the text.

The passive

is / are / was / were + past participle (+ by ...)

The passive puts the receiver of the action in subject position (the probe was launched). Writers choose it when the doer is unknown, obvious or less important than the result.

From the story
  • At least 23 sailors were killed.
  • Five sailors were rescued.

Notice: Who or what does the action in each sentence? Is the doer named?

2. Vocabulary

Useful words and phrases from the story, with meanings and examples.

Words from the story

6 Target Terms
broke out/brəʊk aʊt/
verb · B2

to start suddenly, especially used for fires, wars, or diseases

“A fire broke out in the factory last winter and the workers had to evacuate quickly.”

Often with: broke out overnight, a fire broke out, a war broke out

anchored/ˈæŋkəd/
verb · B2

tied up or held in a fixed position in the water using an anchor

“The fishing boats were anchored near the harbour while the storm passed.”

Often with: anchored near, had been anchored, ships anchored

underway/ˌʌndəˈweɪ/
adjective · B2

in progress; started but not yet finished

“The renovation of the city library is underway and should finish by autumn.”

Often with: investigation is underway, work is underway, plans are underway

moratorium/ˌmɒrəˈtɔːriəm/
noun · B2

a temporary ban or pause on a particular activity

“The government announced a moratorium on new construction projects in the area.”

Often with: proposed moratorium, moratorium on attacks, call for a moratorium

stalled/stɔːld/
verb · B2

stopped or delayed, unable to make progress

“The negotiations were stalled because neither side was willing to compromise.”

Often with: were stalled, operations stalled, stalled because of

congestion/kənˈdʒestʃən/
noun · B2

the state of being too full or crowded, causing slow movement

“Traffic congestion in the city centre gets worse during the morning rush hour.”

Often with: due to congestion, congestion in the harbour, weather or congestion

3. Check your understanding

Questions about the story. Answer first; each question explains the answer.

Short-Answer Comprehension

Precision Recall

Answer the prompt in a concise phrase or sentence. Your answer will be checked against stored accepted answers, and you can compare your wording with the authentic editorial model response.

4. Practice

Activities with instant feedback. Try each one before you look at the answer key.

Lexical Matching Drill

Vocabulary in Context

Select the matching definition for each target news term extracted from the report.

broke out
anchored
underway
moratorium
stalled
congestion

Sentence Order & Cohesion

Discourse Flow

Arrange the scrambled clauses into the chronological, logical order of the news event. Use the arrows to reorder.

1.The ship was in Romanian territorial waters.
2.Five sailors were rescued.
3.The vessel had been anchored near the Sulina Canal mouth, where the Danube River meets the Black Sea.
4.Seven of its twelve crew members are missing.

Answer key and explanations

Try the activities first: you learn more by checking your own answers. Then compare.