Human Remains Found Aboard Wine Trader, Vessel Struck by Drones in the Black Sea

The Varna prosecutor's office in Bulgaria reported that severely damaged human remains were found aboard a tanker matching the Wine Trader, which was attacked by drones on October 15. The discovery was made during debris clearing operations while the vessel was undergoing repairs at a shipyard in Varna, and authorities ordered DNA tests to identify the victims.

The Wine Trader is a 6,259 deadweight-ton tanker built in 1989, sailing under the flag of San Marino. The vessel was at anchor, empty, about 13 nautical miles (according to Maritime Executive) or 24 kilometers (according to Marine Insight) southeast of Sulina, Romania, when it was struck by drones. Of the 12 crew members aboard, seven were reported missing and five were rescued alive. The vessel was towed to the port of Varna in early November for repairs.

Due to the condition of the remains, the exact number of victims could not be precisely determined, although a Bulgarian police source cited by AFP estimated it at six. Bulgaria's Interior Ministry, according to NOVA television, also indicated that the bodies of six of the seven missing crew members had reportedly been located, showing severe burns.

The attack on the Wine Trader is part of a series of drone attacks on merchant vessels off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria since early October, which according to AFP left at least 34 people dead or missing across at least nine affected vessels. These include the Contship Jet, operating under charter to Zim, which sank on October 28 after being attacked despite prior detection by a French maritime patrol aircraft deployed in Romania. NATO announced it would reinforce its presence in the region, and France agreed to extend the deployment of its maritime patrol aircraft.

The Wine Trader is Italian-owned and was managed by the Maltese company Waterfalls Co, whose executives had at the time indicated they were receiving conflicting information about what had occurred. Attacks in the Black Sea continued, and Russia struck a cargo vessel at the Ukrainian port of Odesa for allegedly carrying dual-use cargo, with no casualties or pollution reported in that incident.