Drone strike hits chemical tanker off Romania, raising Black Sea security concerns
A drone attack set fire to the San Marino-flagged chemical tanker Wine Trader near Sulina, prompting rescue efforts and prompting Romanian officials to warn of a response.
Romanian authorities launched a search and rescue operation on Thursday after a drone struck the San Marino-flagged chemical tanker Wine Trader about 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina on the Black Sea coast. The vessel, en route from Tunisia to Romania, caught fire; five crew members were rescued, while seven remain missing.
"There will be a reaction from the Romanian state," President Nicusor Dan said in Brussels, adding that the drone’s origin was not disclosed.
Medical reports indicated that two rescued crew members suffered scalp burns and mild smoke inhalation, while the others appeared unharmed. The incident follows a series of drone incursions in the exclusive economic zones of Romania and Bulgaria earlier this month.
Romania’s acting defence minister Radu Miruta said an investigation is under way after a drone briefly entered Romanian airspace near Sulina at 1:34 a.m., though no drone was detected heading toward the nearby vessel Yara J, a Comoros-flagged tanker that also reported a fire but whose crew remained safe.
The attacks come after similar drone strikes on Bulgarian-flagged ships earlier in the week, which Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev attributed to Russia. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he discussed the incidents with Radev and Dan, noting that NATO is enhancing counter-drone capabilities along the eastern flank.