Drone strikes set two chemical tankers on fire near the Danube’s Sulina Canal in the Black Sea overnight on October 14 and 15, and rescuers were still searching for missing crew on Thursday. Reuters reported that eight crew were missing from one of the ships, after Russian drones strayed into Romanian airspace, according to Romanian officials. Earlier reports had put the number missing at seven. The strikes are the first in the current series to hit vessels inside a NATO member’s territorial waters.
Romanian officials stopped short of explicitly linking the fires to the Russian drones. President Nicusor Dan said the two ships had been struck by drones but declined to say whether they were Russian. Bucharest has promised a response, and NATO’s top officials are now consulting allies on the alliance’s posture in the region.
What happened
The Comoros-flagged tanker Yara J caught fire on Wednesday evening. It was anchored about 10 nautical miles southeast of Sulina when its crew reported an explosion, and it put out the fire without outside help. Defence Minister Radu Miruta said radar had not seen a drone approach the ship, but two drones entered Romanian airspace at 10:26 p.m. local time, according to Digi24. An investigation is under way.
The San Marino-flagged Wine Trader was hit on Thursday morning. The tanker, sailing from Tunisia to Romania, reported several explosions at about 07:00 local time. The Romanian Naval Authority said the ship carried no cargo. The interior ministry said very big waves made a safe rescue impossible for the time being. It had sent two Black Hawk helicopters and two ships with medical staff.
Accounts differ on where the Wine Trader was hit. NATO said the bulk carrier Sea Destiny and the Yara J were targeted inside Romanian territorial waters, and that the Wine Trader was targeted just outside them. The later Reuters text places both tankers inside Romanian waters. The alliance also counted a fourth target. It named the Tanzanian-flagged tanker Dania J, moored in the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail.
Background
The strikes follow a run of attacks on merchant shipping along the NATO coastline. Splash247 counts five reported drone attacks on merchant ships off Romania and Bulgaria since October 5, with three vessels sunk. On October 5, Romania reported that two people were killed and 11 rescued when a grain ship caught fire and sank. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed a Russian drone attack.
On Tuesday, two merchant ships were struck further south, off Bulgaria. One sank, and 11 crew members were reported missing. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attacks “absolutely unacceptable” and said Sofia had informed its representatives to NATO and the EU. Reuters says at least 23 sailors were lost in the earlier strikes, which took place just outside NATO’s territorial waters.
Responsibility is not settled. Radev has suggested Russia was behind the attacks while acknowledging that definitive evidence is lacking. Moscow’s ambassador to Sofia has suggested a third party could have been involved. Russia’s defence ministry has separately claimed strikes on dry cargo ships heading toward Odesa. Kyiv Independent notes that attacks by both Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea intensified over the summer.
Romania’s exposure is long-standing. It shares a 614 km border with Ukraine, much of it along the Danube, and has reported repeated breaches of its airspace by Russian drones over the past four years. The Danube route is a major shipping lane for Ukraine, which has been pushed toward it as Russia attacks Ukraine’s own Black Sea ports.
Alliance response
NATO’s top military commander is consulting defence chiefs, alliance officials said Thursday. Rutte met the Romanian and Bulgarian leaders in Brussels. He said NATO would keep working closely with allies in the Black Sea and adjust its deterrence and defence posture “as needed.” The meeting took place on the sidelines of an EU leaders’ summit.
Both governments are asking for equipment. Dan said Romania had told allies it needs gear to protect a NATO state on the Danube, and that the same discussion was now under way for the Black Sea. Bulgaria plans to join a NATO counter-drone initiative by the end of October and to buy additional equipment to protect its territory. Sofia is also seeking help to strengthen air and maritime surveillance and improve its response capabilities. Bulgaria’s foreign minister said Bulgaria is working with Türkiye and Romania on an initiative to protect commercial shipping.
Strategic implications
The incidents blur the line between spillover from the Ukraine war and a direct threat to allied territory. Three questions follow from that.
- Attribution. Romania has not named a perpetrator. A formal attribution to Russia would sharpen pressure on allies to respond. It would also raise questions about consultations under Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty, though no member has requested them in the reporting reviewed here.
- Commercial risk. Reuters says growing attacks on Black Sea shipping have threatened to cause a global food crisis, since both Russia and Ukraine are major grain exporters. Insurers and shipowners may price in the anchorage area near Sulina differently now that attacks have reached inside territorial waters.
- Timing. The strikes coincide with the breakdown of a short energy truce. Ukrainian drones attacked a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region early Thursday, hours after Zelenskyy said a brief truce spurned by Moscow was over. Wider escalation in the Ukraine war could bring more stray or deliberate strikes toward NATO’s southeastern flank.
What to watch
- The outcome of the Romanian investigation, including whether officials attribute the drones to Russia and whether the Wine Trader’s final position is confirmed as inside or outside territorial waters.
- The fate of the missing crew, and whether weather allows search teams to reach the Wine Trader.
- Any Romanian or Bulgarian request for formal NATO consultations, and any announced changes to NATO’s air policing or maritime posture in the Black Sea.
- Bulgaria’s entry into the NATO counter-drone initiative, due by the end of October.
- Follow-up on the Bulgaria, Türkiye and Romania plan to protect commercial shipping, and whether ship operators avoid the Sulina anchorage.
- Whether Moscow responds to Romanian and Bulgarian diplomatic démarches, or whether further drone incursions are reported.
Sources
- Two ships ablaze in Romanian Black Sea waters, 8 sailors missing (Reuters via Yahoo)
- Two Ships Ablaze Off Romanian Black Sea Coast, 7 Sailors Missing (gCaptain/Reuters)
- Seven missing after fire on vessel in Black Sea off Romania (AFP via France 24)
- NATO monitors attacks on commercial ships as Black Sea tensions escalate (Stars and Stripes)
- NATO's Black Sea flank on alert after series of attacks (Splash247)
- sailors missing as two ships off Romanian Black Sea coast catch fire amid drone incursion (Kyiv Independent)
- Two ships ablaze after drone attack off Romanian coast, 8 sailors missing (Saudi Gazette)
- Ukraine says Russian drone attack sinks ship in Romanian waters (Al Jazeera)
- Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries, officials say, after brief truce (NPR)
- Seven missing after fire on vessel in Black Sea off Romania
Top image: Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.
