Seven sailors are missing after drones set tankers ablaze near Romania’s Black Sea coast — another civilian shipping nightmare on a route Ukraine uses to move grain and oil out while Russia pounds its ports.
The San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader, bound from Tunisia to Romania, was struck and caught fire. Five of its 12 crew were rescued; seven remain missing. A second vessel, the Yara J, was hit just inside Romanian waters late Wednesday; its crew got out safely. Romania’s president, Nicușor Dan, said commercial ships are being attacked and sunk “very close to the shores of Romania and Bulgaria,” calling it unacceptable.
A Nato military source told Reuters the drones that hit both tankers inside Romanian territorial waters were of Russian origin. Dan met Bulgaria’s prime minister and Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Thursday; they agreed to strengthen Black Sea defenses. Rutte said Nato will adjust its deterrence posture as needed. The North Atlantic Council is expected to take up the issue next week.
This is not a one-off. Drone hits off Bulgaria earlier this week left more crew missing. Reuters tallied at least 23 sailors reported missing or killed after attacks near Bulgaria and Romania in the past 10 days. Russia has hammered Ukraine’s Black Sea infrastructure, pushing Kyiv toward Danube and near-shore routes off NATO coastlines.
Civilian freighters. Nato waters. Missing sailors. The war just keeps walking sideways into other people’s shipping lanes.
Sources: The Guardian — Seven sailors missing after Black Sea drone strikes · BBC — Seven crew missing after drone attack off Romania · AP — Drone strike and fire on ship in Romanian waters
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
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