Ship fires reported in Romanian territorial waters near Black Sea

Two separate maritime incidents occurred within Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. On Wednesday night, a fire broke out on the chemical and oil tanker 'Yara J', which flies the Comoros flag, near the port of Sulina. The crew successfully extinguished the blaze, and an investigation is underway to determine if the vessel was targeted by a drone, amid reports of recent aerial violations near the border with Ukraine.

On Thursday morning around 07:00, a second incident occurred involving the vessel 'Wide Trader' (also referred to as 'Wine Trader'), which carries the San Marino flag. The ship sent a distress signal approximately 13 nautical miles from Sulina. While earlier reports indicated eight crew members were missing, the latest update from the Romanian Naval Authority confirms that five of the 12 crew members are safe, while seven remain missing. A search and rescue operation involving a ship and a helicopter is currently underway despite adverse weather conditions. Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta confirmed that investigations are ongoing into both incidents to determine if drone attacks were the cause, as concerns mount regarding regional maritime security.