SULINA, Romania — Seven seafarers were missing on Thursday after a drone struck a chemical tanker anchored off Romania’s Black Sea coast, the second vessel hit near the mouth of the Danube in less than 24 hours and the latest in a string of attacks on merchant shipping that is stoking fears the war in Ukraine is spilling into NATO waters.
Two tankers ablaze off Sulina
The San Marino-flagged chemical tanker Wine Trader, on passage from Tunisia to Romania, caught fire overnight into Thursday, October 15, about 13 nautical miles (24 km) southeast of Sulina. Romania’s Naval Authority said five crew members were rescued and seven remained missing. Initial checks found one survivor with burns to the scalp and another with mild smoke inhalation; the other three appeared unhurt.
The evening before, the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J, sailing from Turkey to Sulina, also caught fire inside Romanian territorial waters. Her crew put the blaze out themselves and all were reported safe. Both ships were anchored near the entrance to the Sulina Canal, the gateway to the Danube — a vital export corridor for Ukraine.
Romania’s Interior Ministry dispatched two Black Hawk helicopters and two vessels carrying medical teams, but said very large waves made it impossible to carry out the rescue safely.
“There will be a reaction”
Speaking at an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels, Romanian President Nicușor Dan confirmed that both ships had been hit by drones but did not say where they were launched from. “There will be a reaction from the Romanian state,” he said, adding that Bucharest would respond once more information was gathered and that NATO would hold a summit on drone incursions into eastern Europe.
Romania’s Defence Ministry said it had tracked a “group of air targets” overnight near Ukraine’s Snake Island, and that one drone briefly entered Romanian airspace at 1:34 a.m. southeast of Sulina before disappearing from radar. Acting Defence Minister Radu Miruță said an investigation was under way, but noted that military radars had not detected any drone heading toward the Yara J.
A month of attacks across the western Black Sea
The Sulina strikes follow a bruising fortnight for shipping in the region:
- October 5: A Turkish-owned bulk carrier loaded with corn caught fire and later sank in Romania’s exclusive economic zone. Two people were killed and 11 rescued. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blamed two Russian drones; Romania did not identify a cause.
- Early October: Sea and aerial drones hit two merchant ships in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. A Togo-flagged vessel sank, and a Bulgarian ferry took off the 18 crew of a damaged Palau-flagged ship.
- October 13: Off Bulgaria, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship HS Dignity was struck, with 11 crew reported missing. The Maltese-flagged, Ukrainian-operated freighter Chelsea 3 was hit by what her crew described as three aerial drones; all 15 crew were evacuated, five with minor injuries.
Neither Romania nor Bulgaria has formally blamed Russia. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Russia was the likely culprit, reasoning that Ukraine would have no motive to attack its own ships and crews, though he acknowledged there was no firm evidence the drones were Russian. Sofia summoned Russia’s ambassador.
NATO steps up
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met Dan and Radev on Thursday to discuss Black Sea security and what he called the latest attacks on commercial shipping. Writing on X, he said the alliance had reinforced its eastern flank, including with additional counter-drone capabilities, and would keep adjusting its deterrence posture as needed.
Romania, which shares a land border with Ukraine, has seen repeated drone incursions since 2022. This year alone, a Russian drone hit an apartment block in May, a stray Ukrainian sea drone exploded in the port of Constanța in June, and Romanian air defences downed three drones in a single week in July. Its navy has also destroyed nine drifting sea mines since the war began.
What it means for mariners
For anyone afloat in the western Black Sea — from commercial crews to private yachts transiting toward the Danube Delta — the message is stark: anchorages and approaches once considered safe inside NATO waters are now within range of the conflict. Skippers should monitor Romanian and Bulgarian navigational warnings closely, keep well clear of the Sulina approaches and Snake Island area, and treat any floating object with caution given the continued threat from drifting mines.
Sources: The Washington Times / AP, Al Jazeera (Oct 15), Al Jazeera (Oct 5), Bloomberg. This is a developing story.
