Rescuers are searching for seven missing crew members from the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader, which caught fire near the mouth of the Danube River's Sulina Canal. Five of its 12 crew have been rescued, but Romania's interior ministry said the operation could not proceed safely due to very large waves.
A second vessel, the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J, also caught fire on Wednesday near the same location. All of its crew are safe, Romanian authorities said, though they initially said it was unclear whether the ship had been attacked.
Both ships were anchored near the Danube's Sulina Canal, a major shipping route that Ukraine has increasingly relied on after Russia bombed its Black Sea ports. Romania shares a border with Ukraine along much of the Danube and has reported repeated breaches of its airspace by Russian drones over the past four years.
The latest fires come amid a sharp escalation in attacks on Black Sea shipping linked to the Russia-Ukraine war. At least five cargo ships have been hit by drone strikes near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria in the past 10 days, with at least 23 sailors lost in those incidents, which took place just outside NATO territorial waters.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu described the Black Sea as "a global food artery" and said it has become "the deadliest sea when it comes to the number of casualties of sailors in the last months." She called for increased investment in deterrence and defence.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said EU leaders were set to discuss a proposed moratorium on attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea on Thursday. Russia and Ukraine are both major grain exporters, as is Romania, and the escalating attacks have raised fears of a global food crisis.