Drone attack sets a tanker ablaze off Romania, leaving seven crew missing

Crew missing out of 12

7 missing

The chemical tanker Wine Trader reported blasts and a fire on Thursday morning, 24 km east of the Danube's mouth at Sulina. Seven of its 12 crew are missing, and helicopters and rescue boats are searching in very high waves.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan confirmed that drones struck the Wine Trader and a second tanker, the Yara J, whose crew put out a fire on Wednesday. Moscow said two ships carrying military cargo to Ukraine's port of Odesa had been hit, without naming them.

We want to have all the information about what happened, but there will be a response from the Romanian state.

— Nicușor Dan, President of Romania

What's next

The leaders of Romania and Bulgaria are to discuss invoking Article 4 of the NATO treaty, which lets an ally request consultations. Dan is to meet NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels about shipping security in the Black Sea.