Fire Hits Two Tankers off Romania, Eight Crew Missing
Fires broke out aboard two chemical tankers near the Sulina Channel in the Black Sea. Eight crew members from the Wine Trader are missing as search operations continue.
Fires broke out overnight aboard two tankers carrying chemical cargo while they were anchored off the Romanian coast, near the Sulina Channel, where the Danube River flows into the Black Sea. Romanian authorities have not disclosed the cause of the fires. Russian drones had previously violated Romanian airspace.
The Romanian Naval Authority identified the vessels as the San Marino-flagged Wine Trader and the Comoros-flagged Yara J. Of the 12 crew members aboard Wine Trader, eight are missing and four are safe. Search operations for the missing crew members are ongoing.
At least five cargo ships have been targeted in drone attacks off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria over the past 10 days. At least 23 seafarers have lost their lives in the attacks.
