Romanian authorities are probing reports of a drone strike on a commercial vessel in the Black Sea near Sulina, following a distress call from the San Marino-flagged ship, Wine Trader, which suffered a fire on board. This incident occurred approximately 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina, a common anchorage point for vessels awaiting entry into the Danube Delta. The fire prompted a search operation, as eight of the twelve crew members are currently missing. Although sailors in the vicinity suggested that a drone hit the ship, Romanian officials have yet to confirm these claims.
In a separate event, a Comoros-flagged vessel was reportedly attacked near Sulina, with initial assessments indicating it was within Romanian territorial waters. Fire erupted on this ship, but the crew managed to extinguish it, and all 17 crew members were reported safe. The ship, carrying coal to Ukraine, was approximately nine nautical miles southeast of Sulina when the incident occurred, and crew members claimed a drone was responsible for the attack.
Prior to these incidents, Romania’s RO-ALERT system issued a warning after two drones entered Romanian airspace, with one being intercepted by Ukrainian air defenses. Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță stated that investigations are ongoing to determine if the Wine Trader was indeed hit by a drone, noting that no drones were detected approaching the vessel. The ship is slated to head to Constanța port for further evaluation.
