A San Marino-flagged chemical tanker called the Wine Trader caught fire and sustained damage from a drone attack Thursday morning while positioned 13 nautical miles east of the Danube River mouth near Sulina, Romania. Seven of the vessel’s 12 crew members remain unaccounted for, while four have been confirmed alive. The tanker was empty of cargo at the time of the incident. Romanian authorities deployed two Black Hawk helicopters and two rescue boats to search for the missing personnel, with challenging conditions including high waves affecting operations.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan confirmed that the Wine Trader and a second chemical tanker in the vicinity, the Yara J, were both struck by drones. The Yara J was attacked the previous day and subsequently caught fire, though its crew successfully extinguished the blaze and all personnel aboard were reported safe. Moscow stated that two cargo ships carrying military supplies bound for Ukraine’s Odesa port had been targeted, though officials did not identify the vessels by name. A swarm of Russian drones was detected overnight in proximity to the attack site near Ukraine’s Snake Island.
The incident represents the latest in a pattern of drone strikes along the western Black Sea coast. On Tuesday, two merchant vessels were struck by drones off Bulgaria’s coast, with one vessel sinking and 11 crew members missing. Bulgarian officials indicated suspicion of Russian involvement and summoned the Russian diplomatic envoy. Earlier the same week, two additional ships sustained damage in similar attacks off Bulgaria.
Romanian and Bulgarian leaders are considering whether to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which permits any alliance member to request consultations if territorial integrity or security is threatened. President Dan plans to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels alongside Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev to address escalating security concerns in the Black Sea region and discuss operational requirements for protecting maritime traffic. Ukraine and its European allies characterize these attacks as targeting civilian vessels transporting grain and commercial cargo, while Moscow maintains it is striking military supply shipments destined for Ukrainian ports.
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