2 ships ablaze off Romanian Black Sea coast, search on for missing sailors

Rescuers were searching for seven missing crew on Thursday from one of two chemical tankers that caught fire overnight just outside Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, after Russian drones strayed into national airspace, Romanian officials said.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan said the two ships had been struck by drones but declined to say whether they were Russian.

“Two air drones hit them,” Dan told reporters in Brussels ahead of a summit of EU leaders, adding only a few hours had elapsed since the strikes, and Romania was waiting for more information.

“There will be a reaction from the Romanian state,” he added.

The two ships hit overnight were both anchored in the Black Sea near the mouth of the Sulina canal leading into the Danube River, a major shipping route used by Ukraine as Russia has attacked Ukraine’s own Black Sea ports. One was in Romanian waters, the other just outside.

The incidents follow drone strikes on at least five other cargo ships near the coasts of Romania and neighboring fellow NATO member Bulgaria over the past 10 days. At least 23 sailors were lost from those strikes, which took place just outside NATO’s territorial waters.

Romania’s naval authority said it received an emergency alert from the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader. Seven of its 12 crew were missing and 5 were rescued. The ship was hit 13 nautical miles southeast of the Sulina canal, one mile outside Romanian waters.

The interior ministry said it had sent two Black Hawk helicopters to the search and rescue mission, as well as two ships with medical staff on board.

“At the moment, the rescue cannot be done safely because of very big waves,” it said in a statement.

Late on Wednesday, the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J also caught fire, 8-10 miles southeast of Sulina, inside national waters. Romanian authorities initially said it was not clear whether it had been attacked. All its crew were safe.

Romania shares a 614-km (381-mile) border with Ukraine, much of it along the Danube. It has reported repeated breaches of its airspace by Russian drones over the past four years.

Both Wine Trader and Yara J caught fire near the mouth of the Danube River’s Sulina Canal leading to the Black Sea, where ships often anchor waiting to pass because of delays from weather and congestion. Both ships were empty of cargo.

Increasing attacks on Black Sea shipping connected with the Russia-Ukraine war in recent months have threatened to cause a global food crisis, as both countries are major exporters of grain, as is Romania.

“We’re looking at the Black Sea as a global food artery,” Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu told a security conference in Warsaw earlier this week.

“It is currently, unfortunately, the deadliest sea when it comes to the number of casualties of sailors in the last months. That means we need to increase our investments in deterrence, defense.”

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said EU leaders would discuss on Thursday a proposed moratorium on attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea. Dan and Radev will meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte later on Thursday.

Russia has been bombing Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, forcing Kyiv to rely increasingly on Danube River ports and shipping routes close to the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania. For its part, Ukraine has targeted Russian ships near the mouth of the Don River in the Azov Sea.