Sea drone explodes in Romanian port, likely of Ukrainian origin

According to preliminary information, the blast was caused by a Ukrainian drone carrying dozens of kilograms of explosives. How it entered the port is unknown, but it was found near the Oil Terminal petroleum facility.

The object was spotted at about 5 a.m. near berths 77-78, where the headquarters of the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Lives at Sea (ARSVOM) is located.

An alert was declared at the port, and authorities activated the “red response plan.” According to preliminary information, there were no casualties.

Senior state officials were informed of the incident, including President Nicusor Dan, who was aboard a Spartan aircraft en route to Montenegro for the EU-Western Balkans summit.

Romania’s Defense Ministry also said it believed the object was a naval drone of a type “used in the war in Ukraine.” It self-detonated at about 10:30 a.m. and caused no casualties.

Last week, a Russian drone that had attacked Ukraine’s Odesa Oblast entered Romanian airspace and crashed into an apartment building in the municipality of Galati. Despite having authorization, pilots patrolling the country’s skies did not shoot it down.

In that incident, two people suffered bruises and 70 others were evacuated from the damaged section of the building. Romanian President Nicusor Dan declared Russia’s consul general in Constanta persona non grata and announced the closure of the consulate.