The emergency alert came from the San Marino‑flagged tanker Wine Trader, which had been anchored near the Sulina Canal’s mouth. Eight of its 12 crew members were reported missing while the remaining four were rescued. The Comoros‑flagged Yara J, which also caught fire, suffered no casualties and all crew were unharmed.
The incidents follow a string of attacks on Black Sea shipping in the past ten days, when at least five cargo vessels were struck near Romania and Bulgaria, killing 23 sailors. The strikes occurred just outside NATO’s territorial waters, raising alarms that the Russia‑Ukraine war is spilling into the region.
The Sulina Canal is a critical maritime corridor, linking the Danube River to the Black Sea. With Russian assaults on Ukrainian ports, Kyiv has increased its reliance on Danube‑bound shipping, making the canal a lifeline for grain exports and other commodities.
Romanian authorities confirmed that Russian drones had entered Romanian airspace overnight, a recurring violation over the past four years. While the navy has not yet linked the fires to the drone incursions, investigators are probing any potential connection.
These events underscore growing instability in the Black Sea, a key conduit for global food supplies. The international community watches closely as the conflict threatens to disrupt maritime trade routes that serve millions worldwide.