A ship anchored in Romania’s territorial waters caught fire, and its crew was evacuated, Romanian authorities said. The vessel was identified as the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J. The blaze adds to growing concern over hybrid attacks in the Black Sea involving Russia.
Romanian Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Wednesday that it was unclear whether a drone had struck the tanker, and that an investigation was pending. On the same day, multiple drones entered Romanian airspace near the border with Ukraine.
Two ships hit off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast
On Tuesday, two ships were hit in drone attacks off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, and one of them sank, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. He said there was no clear evidence about who carried out the attack. However, Radev argued that “the outcome benefits” Russia, and he said the Russian ambassador would be summoned over the incident.
Separately, Bulgarian reporting of an October 6 drone strike described two ships hit in the country’s exclusive economic zone, with one sinking and the other damaged. The crew of the damaged vessel was rescued, but the sunken ship’s crew remained missing. Bulgarian authorities later ended search operations after confirming that no survivors had been found.
Earlier grain ship sinking and regional security response
Earlier this month, a grain ship caught fire and sank outside Romania’s territorial waters. Ukraine blamed Russian drones for the incident, in which two people were killed and 11 others were rescued. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack on social media, calling it a horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters.
Bulgaria’s President Iliana Iotova said last Wednesday that she would invite Romania and Turkiye to consultations on protecting merchant ships in the Black Sea. Mines floating in the sea also threaten key trade and energy routes. Some observers view drone incursions into eastern European airspace as a test of NATO and European Union defences, and Romania, a NATO member, shares a land border with Ukraine.
