Tanker damaged near Romanian coast — 7 sailors missing

The security situation regarding commercial and cargo shipping is sharply deteriorating in the areas of the Black Sea adjacent to the Romanian coast. The oil tanker Wine Trader, sailing under the flag of San Marino, suffered severe damage as a result of a drone attack.

Out of the 12 crew members on board, only 5 have been rescued, while the remaining 7 sailors have been declared missing. Search and rescue operations are currently underway.

Distress signal and nighttime emergencies

Details of the incident and factors highlighting the mounting tension in the Black Sea:

• Wreck of the Wine Trader tanker: The vessel officially sent out a distress (SOS) signal around 07:00 on the morning of October 15;

• Fire on the chemical tanker: On the very same night, a sudden fire broke out on the chemical tanker Yara J, sailing under the flag of the Comoros and specialized in transporting hazardous chemical products. Fortunately, no casualties were reported, and the crew managed to extinguish the fire on their own;

• Anchorage locations: According to the Reuters agency, at the time of the strikes, both vessels were anchored in the open sea near the Romanian coast.

Attacks near NATO borders: 23 victims in 10 days

Recently, the security of maritime trade routes has been observed to weaken to an unprecedented degree:

• Consecutive strikes: As the publication notes, within just the last 10 days, at least 5 major cargo ships have been subjected to drone attacks in the waters close to the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts;

• Scale of losses: A total of 23 sailors have died as a result of these attacks;

• Geographical boundary: All the attacks are being carried out just outside the territorial waters of NATO member states, which is why local official authorities are currently cautious about officially linking the onboard explosions and fires to Russian drone strikes.

The systematic targeting of commercial vessels in the western basin of the Black Sea is dealing a heavy blow to international maritime transport insurance and petrochemical logistics.