Search Underway for Seven Missing Sailors After Two Ships Catch Fire in Black Sea

Rescuers were searching for seven missing crew members on Thursday from one of two chemical tankers that caught fire overnight inside Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea, following reports of Russian drones entering Romanian airspace, according to Romanian officials. Officials did not explicitly connect the fires onboard the ships to the Russian drones. However, these incidents follow drone strikes on at least five other cargo ships near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria over the past ten days, resulting in the loss of at least 23 sailors from those strikes, which occurred just outside NATO’s territorial waters. The two ships involved in the recent fires were anchored in the Black Sea near the mouth of the canal leading into the Danube River, a significant shipping route utilized by Ukraine amid attacks on its Black Sea ports by Russia. Romania’s naval authority reported receiving an emergency alert from the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader, which had seven of its 12 crew members missing, while five were rescued. The interior ministry stated that two Black Hawk helicopters and two ships with medical staff were dispatched for the search and rescue mission, but noted that the operation could not proceed safely due to large waves. Additionally, the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J caught fire late on Wednesday, with Romanian authorities initially unclear if it had been attacked; all crew members were reported safe. Romania shares a 381-mile border with Ukraine, much of which is along the Danube, and has reported numerous breaches of its airspace by Russian drones over the past four years. Both the Wine Trader and Yara J caught fire near the mouth of the Danube River’s Sulina Canal, where ships often anchor due to weather delays and congestion. Increased attacks on Black Sea shipping related to the Russia-Ukraine war in recent months have raised concerns about a potential global food crisis, as both Ukraine and Russia are major grain exporters, along with Romania. Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu stated at a security conference in Warsaw earlier this week, "We’re looking at the Black Sea as a global food artery. It is currently, unfortunately, the deadliest sea when it comes to the number of casualties of sailors in the last months. That means we need to increase our investments in deterrence, defence." Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev mentioned that EU leaders would discuss a proposed moratorium on attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea. Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, forcing Kyiv to increasingly rely on Danube River ports and shipping routes near the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania. In response, Ukraine has targeted Russian ships near the mouth of the Don River in the Azov Sea.