Seven missing off Romania after latest Black Sea drone attacks

Romania reported seven people missing on Thursday after two drone attacks on ships in the Black Sea, where several vessels have been hit recently in suspected fallout from the Ukraine war.

The attacks are the latest in a series off the coast of Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria in recent weeks.

Writing on X after a meeting with the leader of Bulgaria and NATO chief Mark Rutte in Brussels to discuss the issue, Romanian President Nicosur Dan said the trend was "unacceptable" and "has to stop."

"The situation in the Black Sea is serious. Commercial ships are being attacked and sunk. Seafarers killed, injured, and missing, very close to the shores of Romania and Bulgaria," he said.

"Lives, global trade, and critical infrastructure are at stake."

On Wednesday evening, Romania said it was probing a possible drone attack on the Comoros-flagged tanker Yara J.

It said a fire had broken out on board, but the ship's crew managed to douse the flames themselves.

Then, at around 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Thursday, Romanian authorities reported that a fire had broken out on another ship, the Wine Trader, approximately 13 nautical miles southeast of the Romanian city of Sulina.

The VesselFinder tracking website identified the ship, which was flying the San Marino flag, as a chemical tanker.

Speaking at the European Union summit in Brussels, Dan said both ships had been "hit" by "air drones."

The Romanian Naval Authority said in a statement there were 12 people on board the Wine Trader.

"Five of the sailors... have been rescued. A further seven people are still missing," it said, adding that the ship was not carrying any cargo.

AFP