Seven sailors missing after drones hit two tankers off Romania

Rescuers searched on Thursday for seven sailors missing after drones struck two chemical tankers near Romania’s Black Sea coast, setting them on fire and raising fresh security fears along a shipping route vital to Ukraine.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan said the ships had been hit by drones but declined to say whether Russia was responsible. A NATO military source said the drones came from Russia. “The drones that caused the fires on board two tankers inside Romanian territorial waters were of Russian origin,” the source said, Dawn reported, citing AFP.

The two tankers

• Wine Trader: a San Marino-flagged tanker with 12 sailors on board; seven are missing
• Yara J: a Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker that caught fire after being hit 8 to 10 miles southeast of Sulina inside Romanian waters late on Wednesday; all crew were safe

The vessels were anchored near the mouth of the Sulina canal, which leads into the Danube, a major export route for Ukraine since Russia repeatedly attacked its Black Sea ports. One was inside Romanian territorial waters and the other just outside.

All crew aboard the Yara J were reported safe, while the search for the Wine Trader’s missing sailors continued on Thursday.

Rescue hampered by waves

The interior ministry sent two Black Hawk helicopters and two ships with medical staff. “At the moment, the rescue cannot be done safely because of very big waves,” it said.

A wave of attacks

The strikes are the latest in a series on commercial shipping in the western Black Sea:

• Past 10 days: at least five other cargo ships hit near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, with at least 23 sailors missing or dead, though those attacks were outside NATO territorial waters
• Overnight: NATO said two more vessels were targeted, the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Sea Destiny inside Romanian waters and the Tanzanian-flagged tanker Dania J at the Ukrainian Danube port of Izmail

“The situation in the Black Sea is serious,” President Dan said. “Commercial ships are being attacked and sunk. Seafarers killed, injured, and missing, very close to the shores of Romania and Bulgaria. Lives, global trade, and critical infrastructure are at stake.”

NATO responds

NATO said it was in contact with Romanian officials. “NATO will continue to work closely with our Allies in the Black Sea, adjusting our deterrence and defence posture as needed,” Secretary General Mark Rutte said after meeting Dan and Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev.

Romania shares a 614-kilometre border with Ukraine, much of it along the Danube, and has repeatedly reported Russian drone incursions into its airspace since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The attacks on shipping have heightened concerns over grain exports from the region.

Why it matters

Attacks inside the waters of a NATO member raise the stakes of the war and threaten a vital route for grain exports, while sailors and their families pay the immediate price. Read our reports on NATO’s warning to Russia and on Ukraine’s row with Washington over Starlink.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn and AFP.