SULINA, Romania – Eight crew members are missing after a drone attack set a tanker ablaze off Romania’s Black Sea coast, triggering a search-and-rescue operation amid rising security concerns in the region.
The San Marino-flagged Wine Trader was about 13 nautical miles (24 kilometres) east of the mouth of the River Danube near Sulina when it reported explosions and a fire at around 7am local time on Thursday.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan later confirmed that the vessel had been struck by drones.
Of the 12 crew members aboard, four were confirmed alive, while eight remained missing as rescue teams worked to reach those who survived.
Romanian authorities deployed two Black Hawk helicopters and two rescue boats to the scene. The operation has been complicated by reports of very high waves, raising concerns over the safety of both the missing crew and rescuers.
The Romanian Interior Ministry released video showing a helicopter hovering above the burning vessel.
Russian Drones Detected Near Attack Site
The attack came amid a series of drone strikes targeting vessels along the western Black Sea coast.
A swarm of Russian drones was detected overnight near Ukraine’s Snake Island, not far from the area where the Wine Trader was attacked.
Moscow said two cargo ships carrying military supplies bound for Ukraine’s port of Odesa had been hit during a sea crossing, but did not identify the vessels.
Romanian media, citing crews aboard nearby ships, reported that the Wine Trader had been struck by two drones.
The tanker was sailing from Tunisia to Romania when it reported several explosions on board.
Black Sea Attacks Raise Regional Security Concerns
The latest incident follows attacks on merchant vessels further south along the Black Sea coast near Bulgaria.
On Tuesday, two merchant ships were reportedly struck by drones, with one sinking and 11 crew members reported missing. Bulgarian authorities said they suspected Russia was behind the attack and summoned the country’s Russian envoy.
The incidents have heightened concerns over the safety of commercial shipping in a region critical to trade, including Ukrainian grain exports and imports.
Ukraine has blamed Russia for previous attacks on civilian vessels in the western Black Sea. Moscow maintains that it is targeting ships carrying weapons and dual-use cargo destined for Ukrainian ports.
Kyiv and its European allies have accused Russia of striking merchant vessels carrying grain and other civilian goods.
Both Russia and Ukraine are major grain exporters, making the Black Sea a strategically important route for global food supplies. Turkey has called on both sides to halt attacks in the area.
Romania And Bulgaria Consider NATO Consultations
The Romanian and Bulgarian leaders were expected to discuss whether to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty in response to the growing security threats.
Article 4 allows a NATO member to request consultations with its allies when it believes its territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.
Dan said Romania would respond after establishing the facts surrounding the attack.
“We want to have all the information about what happened, but there will be a response from the Romanian state,” he said.
Dan was also due to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels alongside Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the Black Sea region.
The discussions were expected to include operational requirements and additional equipment to protect shipping.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently warned that the Black Sea was becoming “another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine”, describing the situation as unacceptable.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Moscow currently controls about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory, according to the supplied report.
The latest tanker attack underscores the growing risks facing civilian and commercial shipping as the war continues to spill into maritime routes beyond Ukraine’s immediate coastline.
