The Romanian government announced the start of search and rescue operations in the Black Sea following attacks on two small tankers. In these attacks, seven crew members from a tanker registered in San Marino are missing, and five others were evacuated from the ship in an emergency. Another tanker that was damaged in the attacks is heading towards port without injuries.
Details of the Attacks and Rescue Operations
The Romanian Maritime Administration's coordination center received an emergency call from the tanker Wine Trader (with a capacity of 6,259 tons) at 07:00 AM on October 15. The ship reported that it had been attacked and the crew was trying to extinguish a fire. The first attack hit the crew accommodation section, causing several crew members to go missing, making their search difficult due to the intensity of the fire.
Subsequent reports from San Marino officials indicate that the captain of the tanker has stated that the ship has been targeted again and may have been hit for a third time. Damage to the water supply system for firefighting halted efforts once more, and the crew was forced to evacuate.
International Responses and Maritime Security
The Romanian government is organizing a search for the missing crew members. However, the evacuation operation has been complicated by bad weather and stormy seas. A Romanian helicopter lifted the injured crew members from the deck of the tanker Wine Trader. Initially, it was reported that there were four survivors, but later another survivor was identified. One person suffered scalp burns, and another experienced mild smoke inhalation.
Following these incidents, the Romanian Minister of Defense announced that his country is discussing with Bulgaria and NATO the possibility of invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which refers to an attack on one country as an attack on all NATO members. This issue will be raised at the NATO meeting in Brussels, where Bulgarian officials have expressed concerns about increasing threats in the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported targeting two more commercial ships near the Odessa region, claiming that these ships were carrying military cargo to Ukraine. No further information has been released regarding the damages to these ships.
Attacks on ships in the Black Sea have raised serious concerns about maritime security in the region, and there appears to be a growing need for increased protective measures from NATO and allied countries.
