Eight Crew Missing After Tanker Catches Fire Off Romania
Explosions reported on San Marino-flagged vessel in Black Sea; unconfirmed reports suggest drone strike.
Eight members of a 12-person crew are missing after a fire and explosions aboard a tanker off the coast of Romania. The San Marino-flagged vessel, identified as the Wine Trader, sent out distress calls on Thursday morning.
The incident occurred approximately 13 nautical miles (24 kilometers) east of Sulina, near the mouth of the Danube River. Naval authorities confirmed the missing crew members.
The western Black Sea has been the site of recent drone activity. Unconfirmed reports from nearby ships suggest that the tanker may have been struck by two drones. Russian drones were detected in the vicinity overnight, not far from the location of Thursday's fire and near Ukraine's Snake Island.
This follows incidents earlier in the week where two merchant ships were struck by drones further south along the coast of Bulgaria, a neighbor to Romania. One of those vessels sank, and Bulgaria's government suspected Russia was responsible, summoning the Russian envoy.