A drone strike on October 23 sank a cargo vessel off Romania’s Black Sea coast, killing at least one sailor, while three others are considered missing. Romanian President Nicușor Dan accused Russia of escalating attacks on NATO’s eastern flank. UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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Video released by the Romanian authorities shows that only a small part of the hull of the capsized tanker was still visible above the waves when it sank. Emergency vessels searched the surrounding waters for survivors in rough seas and strong winds.
The Romanian naval forces said that the Comoros-flagged vessel "Khoryv," carrying a crew of 13 Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors, sent a distress signal 13 nautical miles from the Romanian port of Constanța, just outside Romanian territorial waters. Nine sailors were rescued from the water, three were missing, and the body of one was found.
Over the past two weeks, there has been a sudden rise in deadly attacks on commercial vessels off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, resulting in at least seven cargo vessels being hit and around 30 sailors being killed or reported missing.
This is part of the escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine
Later, as reported, he said that "the vessel was hit by a drone."
On Tuesday, NATO said it would send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, and drones to the Black Sea. The Alliance did not specify which assets would be sent. On Saturday, Romanian aircraft shot down two latest-generation Russian drones over Romania’s territorial waters.
The vessels recently affected by the attacks were either anchored near the Sulina Canal, which connects the Danube River to the Black Sea, or were heading toward it, the publication writes.
Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria called on NATO to do more to protect commercial shipping in the Black Sea.