Commercial ship catches fire in Romanian waters in latest Black Sea incident

A commercial ship anchored in ​Romanian territorial waters caught fire late on ​Wednesday and the crew evacuated, Romanian authorities ‌said, the ​latest in a series of incidents in the Black Sea underlying shipping risks near NATO's eastern flank.

Five commercial ships have been hit in the Black Sea ‌off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria since early October, with about 23 sailors dead or missing. The attacks have highlighted the growing threat that drone warfare linked to the Russia-Ukraine war poses to commercial shipping in the Black Sea.

Romania's ‌naval authority said on Wednesday it was notified by the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J of ‌a fire onboard. The crew was safe and had evacuated, it added. Defence Minister Radu Miruta said it was unclear whether the ship had been hit by a drone and an investigation was pending.

The ship was anchored about 8 to 10 nautical miles (14.8 to 18.52 km) southeast ⁠of the ​Sulina canal, inside Romanian territorial ⁠waters. The river Danube's Sulina Canal is a key route for Ukrainian grain exports and delays caused by bad weather and insufficient staffing have created ⁠a backlog of dozens of ships waiting to cross it.

Russia has been bombing Ukraine's Black Sea ports, forcing Kyiv to rely ​increasingly on Danube river ports and shipping routes close to the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. Multiple ⁠drones breached Romanian airspace on Wednesday near its border with Ukraine. Miruta said radar systems did not show a drone headed for the ship.

NATO ⁠member ​Romania shares a 614-km (381-mile) land border with Ukraine and has reported repeated breaches of its airspace by Russian drones over the past four years, as well as mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and ⁠energy routes. "These drone attacks are direct consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and endanger not only shipping ⁠in our region but also ⁠vital agricultural supplies to other continents," Romanian President Nicusor Dan said on Wednesday after a call with neighbouring Bulgaria's president.

"We agreed that Romania and Bulgaria will work closely together to ‌push for ‌stronger counter-drone measures within the EU and NATO."