In the Black Sea, within Romania’s exclusive economic zone, a commercial vessel caught fire on Thursday evening; the crew of 12 sailors was rescued, and one of the sailors was injured. President of the country Nicușor Dan and Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță responded to the incident, UNN reports, citing News.ro and Digi24.
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Miruță said that the vessel that caught fire in the Black Sea reported a drone strike through its alert system, and then sank.
On Friday, during Adevărul Live, Radu Miruță was asked what other information he had about the vessel that caught fire in the Black Sea, within Romania’s exclusive economic zone.
"Sixteen nautical miles out, that is, beyond Romania’s territorial waters, a vessel sailing in the exclusive economic zone reported a drone strike through its alert system. Following this, the coast guard dispatched two vessels to provide assistance to the sailors who were aboard the stricken vessel. I understand that there were 11 or 12 sailors on this vessel. Two were rescued from the water by a vessel which, under the law, is required, upon receiving such a notification, to change course if it is nearby and approach to provide first aid," he said.
He clarified that the vessel sank.
"The others were rescued by two coast guard vessels. They were in the water; they jumped into the water. One, as I understand it, has something... this information came in last night—an arm injury. The vessel, as I understand it, sank. Those who were at the scene—the Ministry of Defense was not involved in this—are conducting an investigation to determine under what conditions and how the situation occurred," Radu Miruță also reported.
Representatives of the country’s Coast Guard announced that on Thursday evening they intervened in the Black Sea to locate and rescue several sailors after a fire broke out aboard a commercial vessel passing through Romania’s exclusive economic zone.
"On 27 August 2026, at approximately 19:00, coast guard border guards received a report from MRCC Constanța that a fire had broken out aboard a commercial vessel located in Romania’s exclusive economic zone, approximately 20 nautical miles southeast of Sfântu Gheorghe," Romanian border guards reported.
"Following the rescue operation, by 21:00, all 12 people aboard the merchant vessel had been rescued. Of these, ten people were rescued by border guards, one of whom was injured, while two others were rescued by the crew of a commercial vessel," the agency reported.
The Coast Guard noted that the search-and-rescue operation took place under difficult conditions, with waves approximately 2.5 meters high.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan said that the vessel had been hit and sank.
"The vessel was hit, and it appears to have sunk. (...) An investigation will be conducted, and the facts will be established, but it is not worth engaging in speculation," Nicușor Dan explained at a press conference on Thursday evening.
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