Two tankers catch fire near Sulina Canal in Romania amid drone attacks

Two tankers caught fire near the Sulina Canal in Romania’s territorial waters on the night of October 15. The incidents occurred amid reports of Russian drones violating Romanian airspace, Reuters reported, citing Romanian authorities.

One of the vessels was the San Marino-flagged Wine Trader, which had 12 crew members on board. Four were rescued, while eight remain missing. A fire also broke out aboard the Comoros-flagged Yara J, an oil and chemical tanker. All crew members aboard the second vessel are safe.

Both tankers were anchored in the Black Sea near the entrance to the Sulina Canal, which connects the Danube River to the Black Sea. Romanian authorities have not confirmed that the fires were caused by drone strikes. Adrian Mihalcioiu, head of the Free Trade Union of Seafarers, suggested that one of the vessels may have been deliberately targeted because it was likely heading to Ukrainian ports.

The Sulina Canal is one of the key routes for Ukrainian exports via the Danube. Following Russian attacks on Black Sea ports, Ukraine has increasingly relied on Danube ports and shipping routes near the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts. Navigation in the Sulina area has also been complicated by adverse weather conditions and vessel queues.

Over the past ten days, drones have attacked at least five other cargo vessels near the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts. On October 5, the Royad Mammadov, carrying corn from Izmail to Italy, sank following a drone strike. On October 6, two merchant vessels, ALFA WATAN and ABLE, were also attacked in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.

Tags: Sulina Channel, Romania, war