Romania is investigating a suspected drone attack on an oil tanker off its Black Sea coast after the vessel caught fire near the Ukrainian border, amid a series of incidents involving commercial ships in the region.
Romanian rescue teams rushed to assist the Yara J, a Comoros-flagged vessel, during the night near Sulina, according to a statement from the authorities. The ship’s crew managed to extinguish the fire themselves.
Defence Minister Radu Miruță said an investigation was underway to determine whether the tanker had been struck by a drone.
“Whether it was hit by a drone or not, an investigation is currently underway,” Miruță said, adding that the incident was significant because similar events were occurring in Romanian territorial waters.
Vessel-tracking website VesselFinder identified the Yara J as a chemical and oil-products tanker. Miruță said the vessel had been anchored at Sulina for several days and was empty at the time of the incident.
Romania’s Defence Ministry said earlier that it had scrambled two F-18 fighter jets after detecting a group of aerial targets near the Black Sea.
Bulgaria Suspects Russian Involvement in Attacks on Ships
The incident follows a series of drone attacks on vessels near Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria since last week, further highlighting the spillover of Russia’s war against Ukraine into Black Sea shipping routes.
On Wednesday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said Russia was likely behind attacks that struck four vessels in the Black Sea last week, sinking two of them. However, he acknowledged that Bulgaria had no conclusive evidence establishing Moscow’s responsibility.
“There is no logic in Ukraine attacking its own ships and crews, given that the outcome of all these attacks favours Russia. In fact, the logic points in that direction. The problem is that we cannot prove it,” Radev told parliament.
Search and rescue teams are continuing to look for 11 crew members who went missing after drone attacks on Tuesday sank two vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone and adjacent waters. Five other crew members were rescued.
One of the sunken vessels, the Dignity, was registered in Guinea-Bissau. Four crew members — three Syrian nationals and one Egyptian — were rescued and brought to the port of Varna, district governor Mario Smarkov said.
“All four appeared to be in relatively good condition and had not sustained injuries,” Smarkov said. A fifth sailor was expected to arrive later on Wednesday.
The search for the remaining 11 missing crew members was continuing.
The second vessel, Chelsea-3, is Ukrainian-owned, registered in Odesa and sails under the Maltese flag.
Bulgaria Seeks International and NATO Support
On Tuesday, Radev summoned Russia’s ambassador in Sofia over the attacks. The ambassador said she had received no information from Russia’s Defence Ministry but did not rule out the possibility that the incidents could have been provoked by a third party.
Bulgaria has requested international assistance in investigating the attacks on commercial vessels and called for NATO support to strengthen maritime surveillance, monitoring and response capabilities against drone threats.
The incidents have renewed concerns about Europe’s ability to protect commercial shipping and critical infrastructure in the Black Sea, more than a year after the European Union introduced a strategy aimed at strengthening regional security.
When the EU unveiled its Black Sea Security Strategy in May 2025, the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, warned that the region was experiencing the consequences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
