Drone hits cargo ship in Romanian waters while bound for Ukraine

A drone hit the cargo ship Larissa 1, sailing under the Palau flag, in Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea on Friday, 13 November 2026. The incident happened about 12 kilometres north of the town of Sfantu Gheorghe. The vessel was travelling to Sulina, and its final destination was Ukraine. Romania is a NATO member, so an incident in its waters also concerns the alliance's eastern flank.

According to initial information, the report of the attack came in at around 21:40 on Friday. The ship's captain said none of the crew were injured and that no fire broke out after the impact. The drone is believed to have destroyed only the vessel's crane, which is used to load and unload cargo.

The minister's comments

Romanian Defence Minister Stefan-Radu Oprea confirmed the incident on Saturday while at the Constanta naval base, saying the investigation is continuing. He said he had been informed overnight about the drone strike and that there were no injured or dead.

Oprea stressed that Romanian authorities constantly monitor objects detected on the water or near national airspace. He recalled that at least two air raid alerts were issued in Tulcea County on Friday. The minister said Romania sees drones approaching the country, its airspace or on the water, and each time the authorities respond: where necessary they identify the threat, neutralise it and, if needed, destroy the targets.

Earlier steps in the region

In late October, the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey condemned recent attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea and agreed to set up a coordination mechanism on shipping security. Separately, the European Union will provide 50 million euros to speed up the creation of the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub.