The Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv sank in the Black Sea off Romania’s coast after a drone attack, Reuters reported. The ship had 13 sailors from Ukraine and Azerbaijan aboard. One crew member was killed, nine were rescued, and three remain missing.
“It is part of Russia’s escalation process in its war in Ukraine,” Romanian President Nicusor Dan said. He told reporters that the ship had sunk after being hit by a drone.
Romania’s naval authority said the Khoryv sent a distress signal 24 kilometers (about 15 miles) from the port of Constanta, just outside Romania’s territorial waters.
At least seven cargo ships have been attacked off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria in the past two weeks, Reuters reported. About 30 sailors have been killed or gone missing.
Most of the ships attacked were near the Sulina Channel, which connects the Danube to the Black Sea. After strikes on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, the channel became the main export route for Ukrainian grain and vegetable oil, Reuters reported.
Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria have called on NATO to do more to protect commercial ships in the Black Sea.
Black Sea shipping
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