Fire Reported Aboard Tanker in Romanian Waters Near Sulina

Authorities are examining a fire on the Comoros-flagged tanker Yara J in Romanian territorial waters after President Nicușor Dan said drones struck it and Wine Trader; Romania has not tied its radar detections to either vessel. Romanian President Nicușor Dan said drones hit Yara J and the San Marino-flagged Wine Trader near Sulina. Romania is investigating the cause and has not linked its radar detections to either vessel.

Romania’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Center requested help for Yara J at 1:25 p.m. ET Oct. 14 (17:25 UTC). Rescue vessel SAR Apollo departed six minutes later. The tanker was eight to 10 nautical miles southeast of Sulina, inside Romanian waters, and its crew was safe.

At 1:04 p.m. ET Oct. 14 (17:04 UTC), Romania’s Ministry of National Defence recorded two aerial targets entering national airspace. Radar contact with one ended over the sea; the other left Romanian airspace at 1:13 p.m. ET (17:13 UTC). The ministry did not connect the lost contact to Yara J. A separate drone appeared on radar over Romanian territorial waters southeast of Sulina at 6:34 p.m. ET (22:34 UTC) for about a minute before disappearing. The ministry did not link that detection to either tanker.

A fire aboard Wine Trader was reported around 12 a.m. ET Oct. 15 (04:00 UTC), about 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina and just outside Romania’s territorial waters. Five of the 12 people aboard were rescued, seven were missing, and the tanker carried no cargo.

After meeting Dan and Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev on Oct. 15, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance had strengthened its eastern-flank posture, including by increasing counter-drone capabilities. The Sulina Canal connects the Black Sea to the Danube and serves as an export route for Ukraine. At least five other cargo vessels were attacked near Romania and Bulgaria in the 10 days before the fires; those attacks took place outside NATO territorial waters. Romanian authorities were investigating the causes of the fires.