Romanian President Nicusor Dan blamed Russia on Friday for a drone strike that sank a cargo ship off Romania's Black Sea coast, killing at least one crew member and leaving three others missing.1,2,4
The vessel, the Comoros-flagged Khoryv, had 13 Ukrainian and Azeri crew members on board. The New York Post, citing Romanian naval authorities, gave the breakdown as 10 Ukrainian citizens and three Azerbaijanis, and said nine of the crew had been rescued. Romania's naval authority said one body had been recovered, while Dan said the attack had killed at least one sailor.1,2,4
The ship was headed for Romania's Sulina port, which links the Danube River to the Black Sea. The shipping data website MarineTraffic showed it had departed Turkey on October 21. Al Jazeera noted that the Sulina canal has become the primary route for Ukrainian exporters, who rely on Danube ports and Romanian territorial waters as Russia has attacked Ukraine's own Black Sea ports.2,4
The reports differ on where the ship went down. The New York Post said it sank about 15 miles east of the port city of Constanta, near Romania's territorial waters. Al Jazeera put the location at 13 nautical miles, or 24 kilometres, off Constanta and just outside those waters.2,4
Romania launched a rescue operation after the Khoryv sent a distress signal at about 10 a.m. local time, or 0700 GMT. Video released by Romanian authorities showed only a small part of the hull still visible above the waves. The search was hampered by poor weather and low visibility, and the naval authority said a helicopter could not be deployed because of the conditions.2,4
"Rescue teams continue search operations to identify and rescue the other three crew members," the naval authority said.2,4
Dan said the attack was "a new example of the tragic consequences of Russia's aggression against Ukraine." He added: "It is time for Russia to take peace initiatives of the United States and Europe seriously, accept the cease-fire proposals and end the war."1,2,4
Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu said on Facebook that the attack was "unacceptable and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law." European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attacks "reckless" and said they "target innocent lives and openly defy international law." Moldova's Foreign Ministry wrote on X that "Russia's continued escalation in the Black Sea endangers civilian lives, threatens freedom of navigation and undermines regional security."4
Russian officials did not immediately publicly comment on Friday's sinking. Russia has previously denied that it is responsible for deadly drone attacks in the region.4
The sinking is the latest in a series of attacks on shipping. DW said it was the fourth merchant vessel attacked off Romania's coast this month, and that two merchant vessels were set ablaze in the western Black Sea two weeks earlier, one of them inside Romanian territorial waters. The New York Post put the count higher, saying at least seven other cargo vessels had been attacked this month off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, leaving two people dead and 25 missing. Al Jazeera reported at least seven cargo ships hit and 30 sailors killed or missing over the past two weeks.1,2,4
Bulgaria, also a NATO member, has blamed Russia for edging too close to its exclusive economic zone after merchant ships were hit by drones near its coastline earlier this month. Romania and Bulgaria have both called on NATO to do more to protect commercial shipping in the Black Sea. NATO said on Tuesday that it would send more maritime patrol aircraft and radar systems to the region, and Al Jazeera said the alliance also listed drones. DW noted that NATO had not blamed any country for the attacks.1,4
Romanian pilots on air policing duties shot down two drones over Romanian territorial waters on Saturday. The search for the three missing crew members was continuing, and the reports did not say whether any of them had been found.2,4
