NATO Discusses Black Sea After More Vessel Strikes Leave Seven Crew Missing
Romanian authorities are reporting an ongoing search and rescue effort in the Black Sea after two small product tankers were struck. Seven crewmembers from a San Marino-registered product tanker were reported missing while five others were evacuated. A second vessel reported no injuries and was said to be making its way to port under its own power as the increasing strikes are being discussed by NATO.
The Maritime Coordination Center of the Romanian Naval Authority received the emergency call from the product tanker Wine Trader (6,259 dwt) at around 0700 on October 15. The vessel said it had been struck, and the crew was attempting to fight a fire. The first strike occurred in the area of the accommodation block and left several crewmembers unaccounted for and made a search difficult due to the intensity of the fire.
A later report from the San Marino authorities said the captain reported the vessel was struck a second and possibly a third time. Damage to the water supply for the firefighting system forced them to suspend the efforts and evacuate.
Romania was organizing a search for the missing crewmembers (Interior Ministry of Romania)
The evacuation, however, was complicated by bad weather and high seas. A Romanian helicopter hoisted the injured crewmembers from the deck of the Wine Trader. Initial reports said there were four survivors, but the helicopter reported locating a fifth survivor. One person had suffered scalp burns, and another had mild smoke inhalation.
A second helicopter team was dispatched to the vessel and was planning to board it to search for possible additional survivors. Seven crewmembers were listed as missing. The nationalities of the crew were reported as Beninese, Croatian, and Bosnian.
The vessel, built in 1989, was reported to be holding off approximately 13 nautical miles off Romania and the Salina Canal. It was empty, with reports saying it was scheduled to load vegetable seed oil from Moldova.
The vessel’s flag state, San Marino, issued an alert for the Black Sea and Sea of Azov saying, “The administration strongly recommends avoiding transit through the high-risk areas until further notice. Companies are urged to carefully assess the need for any voyage and consider alternative routes wherever practicable.”
Hours earlier on Wednesday evening, a Comoros-flagged chemical tanker, Yara J (10,000 dwt), reported it was also struck while anchored off Salina. Romania’s rescue agency ARSVOM reported that it dispatched a SAR vessel to the ship, but later reports said the crew was uninjured and the ship was making its way to Constanta. It is managed from Turkey with a crew of 17 from Syria, India, and Iran.
Reports from Romania said these attacks were the first time a drone had hit a ship inside Romania’s territorial waters. The past strikes were reported to have been further offshore in the EEZ.
Romanian President Nicu?or Dan cautioned that they need all the facts about what happened. He said there would be a response from Romania.
Separately, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported it had struck two more cargo ships, it said, that were approaching the Odesa area. It repeated its consistent claim that the vessels were transporting military supplies to Ukraine. No further details were released on the attacks, but Reuters is identifying two vessels that were struck as a Marshall Islands-flagged Greek bulker Sea Destiny (82,172 dwt) and a Tanzania-flagged product tanker Dania J. (3585 dwt) managed from the UAE. There was no information on the level of damage to the vessels.
The strikes came as NATO was conducting a scheduled meeting of the leaders in Brussels. Bulgaria’s president had said they would be raising the issue at the meeting after four vessels were struck off its coast in the past week, killing more than 20 seafarers.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte released a statement saying he had met with the leaders of Romania and Bulgaria to discuss the situation in the Black Sea. He reported, “NATO has strengthened our posture along the eastern flank, including with increasing counter-drone capabilities. NATO will continue to work closely with our Allies in the Black Sea, adjusting our deterrence and defiance posture as needed.”
Media reports said Romania would be discussing with Bulgaria and NATO the potential of invoking Article 4, a mutual defense clause in the NATO charter that says an attack on one nation is an attack on all NATO members.
Bulgaria and Romania Continue Black Sea Searches After Attacks
Search and rescue and salvage efforts are continuing in both the Bulgarian and Romanian zones of the Black Sea after the attacks earlier this week on commercial ships. Weather conditions have been hampering the operations, but both countries are searching for further evidence from the attacks, while Bulgaria confirmed it has also officially asked NATO to increase its deployment to strengthen security in the region and for commercial shipping.
Romania dispatched teams both aboard a helicopter and a patrol boat to return to the damaged product tanker Wine Trader. The abandoned vessel remains anchored approximately 12 nautical miles off the coast of Romania near the Salina Canal after it was struck by one or more drones early on Thursday. Five of the crewmembers were rescued and taken for medical treatment in Romania, while seven seafarers are still missing after the attack.
The plan called for a team of four aboard a helicopter to board the ship and resume the search for the missing individuals. The crew of the ship said they had not been able to enter the accommodations area due to the intensity of the fire. The helicopter team was also going to do a reconnaissance flyover.
The patrol boat FIFI MAI 0101, which participated in the rescue, was returning to the location on Friday with 13 rescuers aboard. They were going to conduct reconnaissance in the area and also planned to board the vessel.
Strong winds and rough seas were reportedly challenging the search operation. The goal remains focused on the recovery of the missing crewmembers.
Wine Trader is anchored off Romania (ARSVOM)
Also on Friday, Bulgaria dispatched a tug in an effort to stop the Chelsea-3, a cargo ship that was struck at around 01:15 on October 13, while sailing about 16 nautical miles east of Byala. The Border Police rescued the crew from the ship, but according to reports, the vessel is drifting. It has now entered the 12-mile zone east of Primorsk. The winds and heavy seas in the region are pushing the vessel toward the south.
The tug Aliot was dispatched with the goal of towing the cargo ship to Burgas. However, it returned to port on Friday afternoon, reporting that the strong winds and deteriorating sea conditions had prevented it from securing the vessel and beginning the tow. Bulgarian officials said they would make another attempt when the weather conditions improved.
Once the vessel is brought into the anchorage at Burgas, they plan a thorough search of the vessel. They are looking for fragments of the drone that struck the ship to make a definitive identification. Last week, Bulgarian forces searched another of the damaged vessels but reported they were unable to find identifying fragments from the drone that struck the ship.
Damage sustained by the Chelsea-3 seen during the evacuation (Bulgaria Interior Ministry)
Bulgaria’s Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, however, told reporters on Friday that Bulgaria has proceeded with a formal request to NATO. He said in a letter sent to the Secretary-General and the Supreme Allied Commander, they have requested deploying combat aircraft and anti-drone systems, potentially with additional troops, to strengthen Bulgaria’s defense capabilities and increase protection for commercial shipping.
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