Drones Hit Tankers Near Romania

A burning ship, a crew scattered by explosions, and rescuers fighting waves too big to work in — that was the scene off Romania’s Black Sea coast on Thursday morning. Two chemical tankers had been hit by drones in one night, one of them inside the waters of Romania, a member of NATO. Seven sailors are still missing.

The attacks are the most serious sign yet that the fighting between Russia and Ukraine is spilling onto the doorstep of NATO countries, onto ships that carry food and goods for the whole world.

One night, two ships on fire

The first ship was hit late on Wednesday evening. The Yara J, a chemical and oil tanker sailing under the flag of Comoros, was anchored about 8 to 10 miles southeast of the Romanian town of Sulina, inside Romania’s territorial waters, when a fire broke out on board. At first, officials were not sure what had caused it. Romania’s defence minister said no drone had been seen on military radar heading towards the ship, and an investigation was opened. The crew managed to put out the flames themselves, and every sailor on board was safe.

Then, at about 7 in the morning on Thursday, came the second emergency. The Wine Trader, a chemical tanker sailing under the flag of San Marino, sent an alert reporting explosions and a fire. The ship was travelling empty from Tunisia to Romania and had 12 sailors on board. It was about 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina, roughly one mile outside Romanian waters.

Both ships were waiting near the mouth of the Sulina Canal, where the Danube River meets the Black Sea. Ships often anchor there, slowed by weather and busy traffic, which left them sitting still in open water.

By Thursday, speaking in Brussels at a summit of European Union leaders, Romanian President Nicusor Dan confirmed what had happened: drones had hit both ships. He said there would be a reaction from the Romanian state once more information was gathered.

Seven sailors still missing

Of the Wine Trader’s 12 crew members, five were rescued and seven are missing. The first reports said eight people were missing, but Romanian officials later corrected the number to seven.

The five rescued sailors were checked by medical teams. One had burns to the scalp, and another had breathed in smoke. The others appeared unharmed.

Romania’s Interior Ministry sent two Black Hawk helicopters and two ships with medical staff to search for the missing men. But the sea itself became the biggest problem. The ministry said the rescue could not be carried out safely at that moment because the waves were very big, and the search had to fight rough weather as it went on.

Two more ships were targeted the same night

The two tankers were not the only targets. NATO said two other vessels were also targeted in the Black Sea that same night: the Sea Destiny, a bulk carrier sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands, which was inside Romanian waters, and the Dania J, a tanker flying the flag of Tanzania, which was moored in Izmail, a Ukrainian port on the Danube. NATO did not report casualties from those two ships.

On who sent the drones, the answers are careful — but pointed. President Dan himself declined to say whether Russia was responsible. A NATO military source, however, said the drones that set the tankers on fire were of Russian origin. Neither Romania nor Bulgaria has directly blamed Russia in public. Reports also carried a statement from Moscow saying that two cargo ships carrying military cargo towards Ukraine’s Odesa port had been hit; Moscow did not name the ships, and that claim could not be confirmed independently.

NATO said it is in close contact with Romanian officials. Its Secretary General, Mark Rutte, met President Dan and Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rumen Radev on Thursday, and Dan said NATO plans to hold a summit to discuss the growing drone attacks in the Black Sea.

Part of a bigger wave of attacks

These strikes did not come out of nowhere. In the past 10 days, at least five other cargo ships have been hit near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, and at least 23 sailors from those earlier attacks are missing or dead. Those earlier strikes happened just outside NATO waters. This time, at least one ship was hit inside them.

On Tuesday, two merchant ships were struck off Bulgaria’s coast, south of Romania. One of them sank, leaving 11 crew members missing. Bulgaria’s prime minister summoned Russia’s ambassador over the attack, while saying there was still no solid proof of who sent the drones. Earlier this month, a grain ship caught fire and sank outside Romania’s waters; Ukraine blamed Russian drones for that incident, in which two people were killed and 11 were rescued.

Why this corner of the sea matters so much

The Sulina Canal leads into the Danube, one of Europe’s great rivers, and it has become a lifeline for Ukraine. With Russia repeatedly attacking Ukraine’s own Black Sea ports, Ukrainian goods — above all grain — travel down the Danube and out through this route. Romania, Ukraine and their neighbours are among the world’s important grain exporters, so trouble in these waters is felt far beyond the Black Sea, in food prices and supply chains around the world.

Romania shares a border of about 614 kilometres with Ukraine, much of it along the Danube. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, drones have repeatedly entered Romanian airspace, and drifting mines have threatened the same trade routes. Romania is a member of both NATO and the European Union, which is why a drone strike inside its waters carries a weight that a strike in open water does not: an attack on one NATO member can, in the most serious cases, become a matter for the whole alliance.

For now, the most urgent work is simple and human: finding seven missing sailors in a rough, cold sea, before the waves that slowed the rescue make their task impossible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened near Romania in the Black Sea? Drones hit two chemical tankers near the town of Sulina on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The Yara J caught fire inside Romanian waters and its crew was safe. The Wine Trader was hit just outside Romanian waters; five of its 12 sailors were rescued and seven are missing.

Which ships were hit? The Wine Trader, sailing under the flag of San Marino and travelling from Tunisia to Romania, and the Yara J, a Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker travelling from Turkey. NATO said two more ships, the Sea Destiny and the Dania J, were also targeted the same night.

Who is blamed for the drone attacks? Romania’s president confirmed drones hit the ships but did not publicly blame Russia. A NATO military source said the drones were of Russian origin. Moscow said ships carrying military cargo towards Odesa had been hit, but did not name any vessels.

Why was the rescue so difficult? Romania sent two Black Hawk helicopters and two ships with medical staff, but officials said very large waves made it unsafe to carry out the rescue at first.

Why does this attack matter for the wider world? The ships were near the Sulina Canal, a key Danube route Ukraine uses to export grain while its own ports are attacked. At least one strike happened inside the waters of Romania, a NATO member, which raises the risk that the war spreads further.