Romania slams ‘unacceptable’ drone strikes on Black Sea ships

Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu on Sunday condemned drone strikes on three commercial ships near his country’s Black Sea coast, promising to work with NATO allies to strengthen security in the region following the latest attacks.

“These incidents are unacceptable and constitute a violation of international law,” Niculescu said in a post on X. He added that Russia’s war against Ukraine was causing the security situation in the Black Sea to deteriorate.

The ships were hit Saturday evening and overnight near Sulina, a Romanian port where the Danube River meets the Black Sea.

The Greek-flagged oil tanker Evia Petrol V was struck just after 9 p.m., followed 35 minutes later by a strike on another ship, the Marsol, according to a statement from Romania’s defense ministry published on its Facebook page.

“In both cases, the fires were extinguished by the ships’ crews. No casualties were reported,” the ministry said.

A third vessel, the Ali Najafov, also reported being struck overnight. It remains unclear who launched the drones.

Romania’s military detected aerial targets on radar and sent F-16 fighter jets into the air. Authorities also issued warnings to residents near the coast about possible drone threats.

The attacks came after another commercial ship, the Larissa 1, was reportedly hit by a drone near Romania’s coast on Friday.

Romanian Defense Minister Ștefan-Radu Oprea said Sunday he would raise the incidents with allied counterparts in Brussels. “We need the solidarity of our allies,” he said, calling for more surveillance aircraft and equipment to defend against drones.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the EU will help finance some Black Sea security costs following recent attacks on commercial shipping.

In October, at least seven commercial vessels were struck by drones in the Black Sea close to NATO and EU members Romania and Bulgaria, leaving more than 20 sailors dead and dozens missing.