Responsibility for attacks on civilian vessels lies with Russia, says Romanian Foreign Ministry

Four merchant ships have been attacked in the western Black Sea over the past 24 hours, killing eight people.

Russia bears full responsibility for attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Coi said.

“In its aggressive war against Ukraine, in violation of all international law, Russia is turning the Black Sea into a dangerous zone for civilian ships. The killing of merchant marine sailors in this region and around the world is a crime. Russia bears full responsibility for these events,” she wrote.

According to the minister, four merchant ships have been targeted in the past 24 hours, including in Romania’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. Eight people have died.

“These are brutal and deadly attacks against civilians. They come against the backdrop of an increasing number of Russian drones — such as Shahed and other air and sea drones — entering our airspace; “Today alone, three such incidents were recorded. Our military has scrambled fighter jets to conduct preventive patrols,” Tsoi added.

These are two chemical tankers. The San Marino-flagged Wine Trader, sailing from Tunisia to Romania, sent a distress signal 14 nautical miles from Sulina. Of its 12 crew members, seven are missing, five have been rescued — initially eight were reported missing and four rescued.

The previous evening, the Comorian-flagged Yara J tanker, sailing from Turkey to Sulina, caught fire. Its entire crew is safe.

Both vessels caught fire near the mouth of the Sulina Canal, a key artery for Ukrainian Danube exports, where ships traditionally anchor while waiting to pass through traffic jams and weather restrictions.

“We continue to insist on a ceasefire in the Black Sea to eliminate the threat to civilian vessels and restore navigation safety on this important global artery of food trade,” concluded Tsoiu.

The Romanian side has so far refrained from making any definitive conclusions about the causes of the fires. Acting Defense Minister Radu Miruta said that military radars did not detect a drone heading towards the Yara J, and the investigation is ongoing.

“This is a matter of considerable seriousness, given that such incidents occur in Romanian territorial waters,” he stressed.

In total, drones have attacked at least seven cargo ships off the coast of Romania and Bulgaria in the past ten days.

On the eve, Bulgaria called on partners to support a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea.