Three commercial ships struck by drones near Romania's Black Sea coast over two days
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Three commercial vessels were struck by drones near Romania's Black Sea coast on Nov. 13 and 14, damaging a Ukraine-bound cargo ship and causing fires aboard two other vessels, Romanian authorities confirmed. No casualties were reported.
The Palau-flagged vessel Larissa 1 was approximately 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from the Romanian coast near Sfântu Gheorghe when the incident occurred at around 9:40 p.m. local time on Nov. 13, according to Romanian broadcaster Digi24.
The ship was heading toward the Romanian port of Sulina, with Ukraine reportedly as its final destination.
The drone damaged a cargo crane aboard the vessel. The ship's captain reported that no crew members were injured and that the impact did not cause a fire, according to Romanian outlet HotNews.
Speaking at the military port of Constanța on Nov. 14, Romanian Defense Minister Ștefan-Radu Oprea confirmed that Romanian authorities had been notified of the incident and that an investigation was underway.
The minister said authorities were monitoring drone activity near Romanian territory and noted that at least two alerts had been issued in Tulcea County on Nov. 13.
Romanian authorities have not identified the origin of the drone responsible for striking the vessel.
Two more commercial vessels were struck by drones near Romania's Black Sea coast on the evening of Nov. 14, Romania's Defense Ministry confirmed, according to Romanian news agency News.ro.
The Greek-flagged tanker Evia Petrol V was struck at approximately 9:10 p.m. local time, about 4 nautical miles east-southeast of Sulina. Roughly 35 minutes later, the bulk carrier Marsol was also struck near the Sulina Canal.
Both vessels caught fire, but their crews extinguished the flames. No casualties were reported.
Romania's Defense Ministry also reported detecting an aerial target east of Snake Island, prompting the deployment of two F-16 fighter jets. Authorities issued drone alerts to residents of Tulcea County.
The origin of the drones responsible for the vessel strikes has not been established.
The incidents follow a series of drone attacks involving commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
On Oct. 28, a commercial vessel heading toward Constanta was struck by drones in Bulgarian territorial waters. Another attack near Constanta on Oct. 23 left one sailor dead and three missing.
Romania, a NATO member, shares a border with Ukraine along the Danube River and has repeatedly monitored drone activity near its territory during Russia's full-scale invasion.
