7 sailors missing as two ships off Romanian Black Sea coast catch fire amid drone incursion

Seven sailors are missing from one of two tanker ships that caught fire in Romania's Black Sea overnight amid drone incursions into the country's airspace, Romanian officials said on Oct. 15.

The San Marino-flagged "Wine Trader," a chemical tanker, reported a fire aboard and eight people missing at 07:00 a.m. local time near the Romanian city of Sulina, a press release by Romania's naval authority said. The authority has since updated the numbers to seven missing.

Search and rescue operations were continuing, it added.

On the evening of Oct. 14, Romanian defense minister Radu Miruta said the country's authorities were also investigating a reported drone attack on an chemical tanker, the "Yara J," Romanian media Digi24 reported.

The Romanian Agency for the Rescue of Human Life on the Sea (ARSVOM) received a call for a rescue mission for the Comoros-flagged ship after it had caught fire.

The sailors from Syria, India, and Iran were all safe aboard, but said the ship was hit by a drone at about 08:25 p.m. local time, Digi24 said.

The leader of the Romanian Seafarers' Free Union, Adrian Mihalcioiu, considered the incident an intentional attack of a ship in Romanian territorial waters en route to Ukraine, Digi24 said.

Miruta said that no drone was seen approaching the ship on the defense ministry's radars, but at the same time pointed toward two drones that entered Romania's airspace at 10:26 p.m. local time, according to Digi24.

"Whether it was struck by a drone or not, an investigation is currently underway," he said. "It is a matter of significant gravity, as long as such incidents occur in Romanian territorial waters."

On Oct. 13, two cargo ships were struck by drones near Bulgaria's Black Sea coast overnight, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

Radev called the attacks "absolutely unacceptable" and said Bulgaria had informed its permanent representatives to NATO and the European Union. Sofia is seeking assistance to strengthen surveillance of the air and maritime domains and improve its response capabilities.

Attacks by Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea intensified over the summer.

In July, Ukraine launched Operation Molochka, a campaign targeting Russia's shadow fleet in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov in an effort to tighten the noose around Russian-occupied Crimea.

Turkey called on Moscow and Kyiv in August to impose a moratorium on attacks against vessels, following a series of strikes in the region that involved Turkish-flagged ships.

While Kyiv has said it is ready to accept a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea, Moscow has shown no interest in de-escalating the situation.

Ukraine established its own Black Sea maritime corridor in August 2023, after Russia withdrew from a U.N.- and Turkey-brokered grain deal. Since then, Russia has regularly targeted ports and civilian shipping.