Drones Strike Four Merchant Ships Near Romania's Sulina Canal

Four merchant ships were struck by drones in the Black Sea near Romania's Sulina Canal, Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu reported. Defense Minister Stefan-Radu Oprea stated that there were no casualties and that the crews managed to bring the fires that broke out on board under control following the attacks that occurred on the night of Saturday, November 14. Romania's armed forces had to scramble fighter jets on two occasions.

According to Oprea, the three ships struck in Saturday's incident were the Greek-flagged chemical/oil tanker Evia Petrol V, the bulk carrier Marsol, and the refined products tanker Ali Najafov, the latter two flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The Evia Petrol V and the Marsol were hit four and five nautical miles southeast of the Sulina Canal, within Romanian territorial waters. The minister added that a general cargo ship was struck by a drone on Friday night, also with no casualties; the Digi24 network identified that vessel as the Palau-flagged Larissa 1.

The Sulina Canal is a waterway connecting the Danube River to the Black Sea, used by Ukraine for its exports. Romanian authorities did not specify the origin of the drones but maintained that the attacks are a direct consequence of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Niculescu called the incidents unacceptable and a violation of international law, while Moscow denied carrying out drone attacks on Ukraine's neighboring countries. According to sources, most of the vessels attacked between October and November were anchored near the Sulina Canal or were sailing to and from that waterway.

Oprea said he will travel to Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday to meet with his fellow Defense ministers and called for solidarity from allies through patrols with surveillance aircraft and anti-drone defense equipment. Following Bucharest's request for reinforcements, France temporarily deployed an Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft to Romania.