One sailor is dead and three crew members remain missing after a drone strike sank a cargo ship in the Black Sea off Romania’s coast on Friday.
Romanian naval authorities identified the vessel as the Comoros-flagged Khoryv, which had departed Turkey on October 21 and was bound for Romania’s Sulina port when it was attacked about 15 miles east of Constanta. The ship caught fire and sank near Romania’s territorial waters, prompting an ongoing search and rescue operation that has been hampered by severe weather.
The crew of 13 included 10 Ukrainian citizens and three Azerbaijanis. Nine people were pulled from the water, but one body was recovered and three others have not been found. Rescue teams have been unable to deploy helicopters due to unfavorable conditions and low visibility, the naval authority said.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan weighed in with sharp words directed at Moscow. “This attack is a new example of the tragic consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” he said. “It is time for Russia to take peace initiatives of the United States and Europe seriously, accept the cease-fire proposals and end the war.”
The sinking marks the latest in a surge of attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea that has alarmed NATO members along the eastern flank. At least seven other cargo vessels have been struck this month off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria alone, leaving a total of two people dead and 25 missing across those incidents.
Video released by Romania’s Interior Ministry showed the aftermath of Friday’s attack: only the ship’s hull remained visible above the surface, jutting from rough seas as rescue efforts continued.
The naval authority issued a statement Saturday noting that search operations were continuing for the three missing crew members. “Rescue teams continue search operations to identify and rescue the other three crew members,” the authority said, explaining that aerial support remained grounded by the poor conditions.
The attack came just one day before Romanian pilots on air policing duties shot down two drones in Romania’s territorial waters over the Black Sea on Saturday. That interception underscored the heightened military alert along the NATO member’s coastline as drone activity intensifies.
The Khoryv was carrying no passengers, only its crew of merchant sailors, when it was struck in waters that have become increasingly dangerous for commercial traffic since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began. Shipping data tracked by MarineTraffic had logged its departure from Turkey and its planned arrival at Sulina.
Romania has publicly blamed Russia for the drone strike, aligning with broader accusations from Western officials that Moscow is escalating attacks on civilian infrastructure and transport routes in the region. The concentrated spate of hits this month off NATO coasts has raised particular concern about the potential for the conflict to widen or draw alliance members more directly into hostilities.
The Black Sea has seen repeated strikes on cargo vessels since 2022, with both Ukrainian and Russian forces targeting ships they associate with enemy trade. The attacks have disrupted grain shipments and other commercial routes while adding to the human toll of the war.
Romanian authorities have not indicated when weather conditions might improve enough to allow helicopter search operations to resume.