The oil tanker Yara G (flying the Comoros flag) was stationed about 10 nautical miles southeast of Sulina on Wednesday when its crew reported an explosion and fire on board. The vessel was in the process of loading and preparing to enter the Danube River. The crew managed to extinguish the fire without external assistance, and all crew members are safe.
Details of the incident and officials' reactions
Romanian Defense Minister Radu Mircea announced that an investigation is underway and emphasized that military radars did not detect any drones approaching the vessel. The oil tanker Yara G will be transferred to the port of Constanța for inspection. Unlike previous attacks that occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Romania and Bulgaria (both NATO member countries), this incident took place in Romanian territorial waters.
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This new incident follows five reported drone attacks on commercial vessels off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria since October 5, which resulted in the sinking of three ships. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has suggested that Russia may be behind these attacks, although he acknowledged a lack of conclusive evidence.
Military movements and regional cooperation
The Russian Defense Ministry has announced that its forces targeted a cargo ship heading towards Odessa. They also claimed to have attacked two other cargo ships that were en route to a Ukrainian port and that attacks have been carried out on the Danube port infrastructure in Izmail. These claims have yet to be independently verified, and the vessels have not been identified.
Meanwhile, Romania has repeatedly scrambled its fighter jets to counter the entry of drones near the Danube Delta. On Wednesday, two aerial targets entered Romanian airspace, one of which was destroyed by Ukrainian air defense near Reni. Another drone was detected at 01:34 AM today in Romanian territorial waters southeast of Sulina, leading to the deployment of additional Spanish F-18 and Romanian F-16 fighter jets.
The increase in attacks has now led to coordinated regional actions. Bulgaria is collaborating with Turkey and Romania to launch an initiative aimed at protecting commercial shipping in the Black Sea. Bulgarian Foreign Minister Vessela Cherneva-Chamova stated in Berlin: "This is truly an initiative that we must involve all our European partners in. We all share a common responsibility."
Cherneva-Chamova also referred to plans to establish a Black Sea maritime security center, which will operate in Varna and Constanța to enhance monitoring and protect critical infrastructure.
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