2 ships catch fire off Romania's Black Sea coast as 7 crew remain missing

Search for missing crew

Romanian authorities began a search and rescue operation after an emergency alert from the Wine Trader. The San Marino-flagged chemical tanker caught fire overnight to Thursday in Romanian territorial waters.

Five of its 12 crew members were reported safe, while seven remained missing. The second vessel, the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J, had caught fire several hours earlier, and its crew was said to be safe.

Both ships had been anchored near the mouth of the Sulina Canal, which connects the Danube River to the Black Sea. Vessels commonly wait there when weather or congestion delays their passage.

Cause remains under investigation

Russian drones were sighted in Romanian airspace before the fires. Romanian officials have not explicitly said the aircraft caused either blaze. Defense Minister Radu Miruta told Digi24 that an investigation was underway, adding that the incidents were serious because they occurred in Romanian territorial waters.

Wider risks to shipping

In the past 10 days, drone strikes have hit at least five other cargo ships off Romania and neighboring Bulgaria, both NATO members. At least 23 sailors were lost in those incidents, according to the report.

Romania shares a 614-kilometer border with Ukraine, much of it along the Danube, and has reported repeated Russian drone airspace breaches over the past four years of Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Ukrainian vessels increasingly use the Danube and routes near Romania and Bulgaria as Ukrainian Black Sea ports face attacks.

Black Sea shipping has faced more attacks in recent months, sharply reducing grain transport from Ukraine and Russia, both major cereal exporters. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the European Union would discuss a proposed pause on attacks against civilian ships at its summit in Brussels.