Bucharest: A search operation was under way off Romania on Thursday for eight sailors unaccounted for after a chemical tanker caught fire in the country’s Black Sea waters, in what authorities described as the latest in a series of shipping emergencies near the war-affected coastline, Reuters reported.
The blaze broke out overnight aboard the San Marino-flagged Wine Trader, which was anchored close to the entrance of the Danube River’s Sulina Canal. Romania’s naval authority said the vessel had 12 crew members, of whom four were confirmed safe.
Second Tanker Hit
Hours earlier, another chemical and oil tanker, the Comoros-flagged Yara J, also caught fire in Romanian territorial waters near the same canal mouth. Officials said all 17 crew members aboard that ship were safe after the fire was brought under control.
Romanian Defence Minister Radu Miruta said it remained unclear whether the Yara J had been struck by a drone, adding that an investigation had been launched into the incident.
The fires occurred after Russian drones entered Romanian airspace overnight, according to Romanian officials. However, Bucharest did not directly attribute either ship fire to the drone activity, and the exact cause of the blazes has yet to be established.
Growing Shipping Risk
The incidents have heightened concern over maritime traffic near Romania and Bulgaria, both NATO members bordering the Black Sea. Over the past 10 days, drone strikes have targeted at least five cargo vessels in waters close to the two countries’ coasts, leaving at least 23 sailors dead or missing.
Those earlier attacks took place outside NATO territorial waters, unlike the latest fires, which occurred within Romania’s maritime boundary. The escalation has raised fresh questions about the safety of commercial shipping in a corridor increasingly drawn into the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Wine Trader and the Yara J were anchored near the Sulina Canal. Ships often wait there because of bad weather and heavy traffic on the Danube route.
The canal has become more important for Ukraine because Russian attacks on its Black Sea ports have forced it to send more goods through Danube ports and routes near Romania and Bulgaria.
Romania shares a 614-km border with Ukraine, much of it along the Danube. It has often reported Russian drones entering its airspace over the past four years.
