The key facts

  • A drone struck the tanker Evia Petrol V at around 21:10 local time, four nautical miles east-southeast of Sulina
  • Thirty-five minutes later, the bulk carrier Marsol was attacked near the Sulina channel
  • The fires were put out by the crews, with no casualties; Romania scrambled two F-16s from Fetesti air base

Attacks off the Romanian coast

Late on Saturday evening, two commercial vessels were struck by drones in the Black Sea near the Danube Delta, Romania's Ministry of Defence reported. Fires broke out on both vessels and were extinguished by their crews; no casualties were reported.

Timeline of the incident

According to the ministry, a drone struck the Greek oil tanker Evia Petrol V at around 21:10 local time, four nautical miles east-southeast of the Romanian port of Sulina. About 35 minutes later, at 21:45, the bulk carrier Marsol was attacked — five nautical miles southeast of the Sulina channel; a fire also broke out on that vessel.

Reaction of the Romanian authorities

Romanian authorities said the incidents unfolded against the backdrop of military radar detecting an aerial target east of Snake Island. To monitor the situation, two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled from Fetesti air base (the 86th Air Base). Romania, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has previously repeatedly scrambled fighters and issued warnings in response to aerial threats near its territory amid the Russia-Ukraine war.