Romania has blamed Russia for a drone strike that sank the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv off Romania’s Black Sea coast on Friday, killing one crew member and leaving three others missing. It is the latest attack on commercial shipping off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria.
At least seven cargo ships have been hit and 30 sailors reported killed or missing in the past two weeks, raising fears of an escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The drone struck the Khoryv and its crew of 13 Ukrainian and Azeri sailors on Friday, 13 nautical miles (24km) off Romania’s port of Constanta, just outside Romania’s territorial waters. MarineTraffic showed the ship left Turkiye on Wednesday bound for Romania’s Sulina port, which links the Danube River to the Black Sea. The canal has become the main route for Ukrainian exporters, who rely on Danube ports and Romanian territorial waters after Russia attacked Ukraine’s own Black Sea ports.
Video released by Romanian authorities showed only a small part of the hull of the capsized tanker still visible above the waves. Romania launched a rescue after the Khoryv sent a distress signal about 10am local time (0700 GMT). Nine sailors were rescued, three were missing and one body was recovered. Romania’s naval authority said poor weather and low visibility hampered the search.
Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria have called on NATO to fast-track additional surveillance capabilities to protect commercial shipping after the surge in Black Sea drone attacks. NATO said on Tuesday that it would send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea.
Romanian and European officials blamed Russia. President Nicusor Dan called the strike “a new example of the tragic consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine” and said it was time for Russia to take peace initiatives of the United States and Europe seriously, accept the ceasefire proposals and end the war.
Prime Minister Luca Niculescu said on Facebook that the attack was “unacceptable and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law”. Moldova’s Foreign Ministry posted that “Russia’s continued escalation in the Black Sea endangers civilian lives, threatens freedom of navigation and undermines regional security”. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attacks “reckless”, which “target innocent lives and openly defy international law.”
Russian officials did not immediately comment on Friday’s sinking. It followed Romanian warplanes shooting down two latest-generation Russian drones over Romanian territorial waters on Saturday. Russia has previously denied responsibility for deadly drone attacks in the region.