Romania investigates possible drone strike on tanker in its territorial waters

The Comoros-flagged YARA J, carrying 17 crew members from Syria, India and Iran, reported a fire while anchored about nine nautical miles from Sulina, according to Radio România Constanța. The crew extinguished the fire, and no injuries were reported.

Romania's Defense Ministry said its radars detected several aerial targets over the Black Sea that evening. Two entered Romanian airspace, and radar contact with one was subsequently lost over the sea. Officials are examining whether that drone could have been involved in the incident.

Defense Minister Radu Miruță stressed that the cause of the fire had not been established.

“Whether it was hit by a drone or not is something that is currently being investigated,” he said, adding that military radars had not detected a drone heading directly toward the vessel.

The distinction matters because Romania is a NATO member, and its territorial waters extend up to 12 nautical miles from its coast. Previous drone-related incidents involving ships near Romania occurred in its exclusive economic zone, outside those territorial waters.

Adrian Mihălcioiu, head of Romania's Free Seafarers' Union, suggested the incident may have been a deliberate attack on a vessel that was likely headed for Ukraine. Romanian authorities have not confirmed either the suspected motive or the ship's eventual destination.

The empty tanker had arrived from Türkiye and was waiting for favorable weather to enter the Sulina Canal and load cargo at Danube ports.

Romanian maritime rescue authorities dispatched a vessel to assist the tanker, but its crew reported that the fire was out and no further assistance was needed.