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Seven crew missing after drone attack leaves tanker ablaze off Romania's coast

Updated 8:15 PM ET · 7:29 PM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Ships & Ports (Nigeria) and gCaptain reported that at least 23 sailors have been reported missing or killed after attacks on commercial shipping near the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania in the past 10 days.

The Wine Trader, a chemical tanker sailing from Tunisia to Romania, reported several explosions on board at about 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Thursday morning, according to the BBC (United Kingdom). The incident occurred 13 nautical miles southeast of the Sulina canal, one mile outside Romanian waters, as reported by gCaptain.

Romanian authorities confirmed that eight of the 12 crew members are missing, with four confirmed alive, as stated by the BBC (United Kingdom). The Romanian president, Nicușor Dan, confirmed that the Wine Trader and another chemical tanker, the Yara J, had both been struck by drones, with the Yara J hit on Wednesday, as reported by the BBC (United Kingdom).

The Kyivindependent (Ukraine) reported that the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader caught fire near the Romanian city of Sulina, with eight people missing. The ship was hit by a drone at about 08:25 p.m. local time, according to Digi24, a Romanian media outlet.

Ships & Ports (Nigeria) and gCaptain reported that at least 23 sailors have been reported missing or killed after attacks on commercial shipping near the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania in the past 10 days. The attacks have heightened concerns over grain exports, as Russian attacks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports have forced Kyiv to rely more heavily on Danube routes near Romania and Bulgaria.

The BBC (United Kingdom) and The Guardian reported that NATO sources say the drones came from Russia, while Romania’s president stated that attacking commercial ships is unacceptable and has to stop. The Romanian president warned, “there will surely be a response,” as reported by NewsCord.

Turkiyetoday (Türkiye) reported that two crew members died and 11 were rescued after a fire broke out on a Turkish-owned cargo ship, the Royad Mammadov, which sank off Romania's coast on Monday. The ship was carrying grain from Ukraine's port of Izmail to Italy, according to Turkiyetoday (Türkiye).

The Wine Trader, a chemical tanker, reported a fire aboard and eight people missing at 07:00 a.m. local time near the Romanian city of Sulina, according to a press release by Romania's naval authority, as reported by Kyivindependent (Ukraine).

Romanian authorities reported that the 139-meter-long ship, named Royad Mammadov, caught fire within Romania's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, as reported by Warpbeat.

The search and rescue operation for the eight missing members of the Wine Trader continues, with priority given to reaching the four crew members confirmed to be alive, while ensuring the safety of rescue teams with very high waves reported in the area, as reported by the BBC (United Kingdom).

Romania shares a 614-km (381-mile) border with Ukraine, much of it along the Danube, and has repeatedly reported Russian drone incursions into its airspace since the start of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as reported by gCaptain.

Romanian officials said three of the crew members were injured, with eight in good condition, as reported by Warpbeat.

The escalating violence has heightened concerns over grain exports, as Russian attacks on Ukrainian Black Sea ports have forced Kyiv to rely more heavily on Danube routes near Romania and Bulgaria, as reported by Ships & Ports (Nigeria).

Background

What's confirmed

• Reviewed by Codex validator (AI) · 15 Oct 2026 Romanian authorities said the San Marino-flagged Wine Trader caught fire off Romania’s coast in the Black Sea, and naval authorities said eight of 12 crew members were missing after a drone attack left the tanker ablaze.
• Nato source says drones came from Russia, while Romania’s president says attacking commercial ships ‘is unacceptable and has to stop’ Nato source says drones came from Russia, while Romania’s president says attacking commercial ships ‘is unacceptable and has to stop’ Seven sailors are missing after drones struck two tankers near Romania’s Black Sea ⁠coast, setting them ablaze and raising ⁠fresh security concerns on a ​vital shipping route used by Ukraine.
• At least 23 sailors have been reported missing or killed after attacks on commercial shipping near the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania in the past 10 days.
• Romania's Interior Ministry said 11 crew members were rescued and two people died.
• The Romanian president said: "We want to have all the information about what happened, but there will be a response from the Romanian state."
• At least five other cargo vessels have been hit near Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria in the past 10 days, with at least 23 sailors reported missing or dead.

What's still developing

• Romania examining possible drone strike as the vessel remains on fire in territorial waters.
• According to a draft summit declaration, EU leaders will say that attacks against civilian shipping, including “member state-flagged vessels, such as the recent attacks in Bulgaria’s and Romania’s exclusive economic zones in the Black Sea, are unacceptable and constitute a serious violation of international and maritime law”.
• Miruta said that no drone was seen approaching the ship on the defense ministry's radars, but at the same time pointed toward two drones that entered Romania's airspace at 10:26 p.m.

Sources

• BBClink
• NewsCordlink
• Ships & Portslink
• The Guardianlink
• gCaptainlink
• BBClink
• Kyivindependentlink
• Euromaidanpresslink
• Turkiyetodaylink
• Warpbeatlink
• WarpBeat — background on Seven Crew Missing After Drone Attack on Tanker Off Romania's Coast link
• WarpBeat — background on Ship sinks in new drone attack off Bulgaria, PM summons Russian ambassador link
• Associated Press — video link