Two ships catch fire off Romania in the Black Sea; search for seven crew members continues

Two tankers caught fire in Romania's territorial waters in the Black Sea overnight into 15 October, and rescuers are still searching for seven crew members, news agency Reuters reports. The incident took place in an area where the war in Ukraine threatens commercial shipping and has raised concerns about global food supplies.

What happened

Romania received a distress call from the Wine Trader, a vessel sailing under the flag of San Marino. Of its 12 crew members, five have been rescued and seven are still missing. Romania sent two Black Hawk helicopters and two ships carrying medics, but rescue work is reportedly difficult because of high waves.

The evening before, on 14 October, the Yara J, a chemical and oil tanker flying the flag of the Comoros, also caught fire. All of its crew are safe.

Both vessels were anchored near where the Sulina channel of the Danube flows into the Black Sea. The Danube is an important waterway for Ukraine while Russia attacks its Black Sea ports. Ships often anchor there to wait for permission to proceed when weather is bad or traffic is congested.

Drones in the region

Russian drones were also spotted in Romanian airspace overnight. Romanian officials did not directly link the fires to them. However, over the past ten days drones have struck at least five merchant ships near the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts, and at least 23 crew members have gone missing on them. Romania has a 614-kilometre border with Ukraine, and over the past four years it has regularly reported Russian drones entering its airspace.

Reaction

The growing number of attacks on Black Sea trade routes in recent months has heightened fears of an international food crisis, since Russia, Ukraine and Romania all export significant amounts of grain. Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said this week that the Black Sea is a vital route for global food transit but is also now the "deadliest sea", which means money must be invested in protecting it.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said he would discuss a possible moratorium on attacks on civilian ships with European Union leaders on 15 October.