Two vessels caught fire near Romania: one may have been hit by drone, eight people are missing from the other
Kyiv • UNN
A fire broke out on the San Marino-flagged vessel Wide Trader near Sulina. Four people have been rescued, while the search for eight others is still underway.
Romania said that eight people went missing after a fire broke out on a San Marino-flagged vessel on the morning of Thursday, October 15. It is the latest incident in the Black Sea, where a series of drone attacks has been carried out, Euronews reports, writes UNN.
Details
The vessel, named Wide Trader, reported a fire at around 7:00 a.m. local time, approximately 13 nautical miles southeast of the Romanian city of Sulina, according to a press release from the Romanian Naval Authority.
"There were 12 people on board the vessel. Four of them are safe, while eight are currently considered missing," the statement added.
A search-and-rescue operation involving a vessel and a helicopter is under way.
Romanian authorities did not say whether the fire was caused by a drone.
The incident occurred after Romania said on Wednesday, October 14, that it was investigating a possible new drone attack on a tanker off the Black Sea coast.
Rescuers rushed to assist the Comoros-flagged vessel Yara J after a fire broke out, but the ship's crew managed to extinguish the blaze on their own.
"Regardless of whether the vessel was hit by a drone or not, an investigation is currently under way," the country's Defense Minister Radu Miruțe told Digi24.
"This is a matter of considerable seriousness, given that such incidents are occurring in Romanian territorial waters," he said.
Suspected Russian drones have struck several vessels off the coasts of Romania and neighboring Bulgaria since last week, the publication writes.
According to the Turkish Chamber of Shipping IMEAK, at least 163 civilian and commercial vessels were hit in the Black Sea during the first eight months of this year.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Bulgaria said that Russia was likely behind the drone attacks that struck four vessels in the Black Sea last week, sinking two of them, but it had been unable to prove Moscow's culpability.
Rescuers are still searching for 11 crew members who went missing after drone strikes sank two vessels on Tuesday, October 13, in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone and adjacent waters, while five other crew members were rescued.
One of the vessels is registered in Guinea-Bissau, but the other, Chelsea-3, belongs to Ukraine, is registered in Odesa, and sails under the flag of Malta, a member of the European Union.
"It makes no sense for Ukraine to attack its own ships and crews, given that the outcome of all these attacks benefits Russia, and indeed, the logic points to that. The problem is that we cannot prove it," Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told parliament.
On Tuesday, Radev summoned Russia's ambassador to Sofia, who said that she had no information from Russia's Defense Ministry but did not rule out the possibility that "these attacks are a provocation by a third party," the publication writes.
The Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo vessel Dignity sank on Tuesday after it was hit by a military strike, the publication writes. Four sailors—three Syrian citizens and one Egyptian—were rescued and taken to the port of Varna, said district governor Mario Smarkov.
"All four appeared to be in relatively good condition and had not sustained injuries," he said. A fifth sailor was expected to arrive later on Wednesday.
Smarkov said that the search for the 11 missing crew members was continuing.
Bulgaria requested international assistance in investigating the strikes on commercial vessels, as well as NATO support in strengthening surveillance and control systems and response capabilities against drone attacks.
EU response
These incidents have once again drawn close attention to Europe's ability to protect shipping and critical infrastructure in the Black Sea, more than a year after the EU launched a strategy to strengthen security in the region.
When the Black Sea Security Strategy was presented in May 2025, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that the region was feeling the consequences of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"The Black Sea region is the main target for hybrid actions. The European Union seeks to strengthen cooperation in combating cyberattacks, disinformation, and other hostile actions," she said.
"Repeated violations of airspace and attacks on ports and shipping routes underscore this reality," she noted.
The policy was aimed at ensuring the security of this maritime corridor, as well as protecting critical infrastructure and assets such as offshore installations and underwater cables.
It also pledged to establish a Black Sea Maritime Security Center aimed at coordinating support and strengthening coast guard cooperation, among other activities.
The center will also analyze data from seafloor sensors and warn allies about potential dangers and future threats.