Black Sea drone attack sinks cargo ship near Romanian coast

One sailor killed and three others missing after Comoros-flagged Khoryv hit near Romanian waters.

Oct 24, 2026, 14:24 UTC

A commercial cargo ship sailing on rough, stormy waters under an overcast sky in the Black Sea. — REAL NEWS HUB

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Romania has held Moscow responsible for a drone strike that sank a commercial cargo vessel off its Black Sea coast, leaving one crew member dead and three others missing.

The incident targeted the Khoryv, a cargo vessel sailing under the Comoros flag with a 13-person crew composed of Ukrainian and Azerbaijani mariners. The ship was struck roughly 13 nautical miles off the port of Constanta, situated just outside Romanian territorial waters. Nine crew members were saved, while search teams retrieved one body and continued looking for three people who remained unaccounted for. Rescue operations were severely disrupted by low visibility and rough maritime weather.

Tracking information from MarineTraffic indicated that the ship left Turkey earlier in the week and was bound for the Romanian port of Sulina, which provides access between the Danube River and the Black Sea. Following persistent Russian strikes on Ukrainian maritime facilities, this transit passage has turned into a vital alternative route for grain and trade moving out of Ukraine. Romanian maritime authorities published imagery showing almost the entirety of the capsized hull submerged beneath the water.

The incident marks the latest in a wave of drone assaults aimed at merchant vessels operating near NATO allies Romania and Bulgaria. Over the preceding two weeks, at least seven commercial freighters have been attacked in the Black Sea, resulting in roughly 30 sailors killed or missing.

Government officials across Europe voiced outrage over the strike. Romanian President Nicusor Dan described the event as another tragic outcome stemming from Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, urging Moscow to consider European and American peace frameworks and conclude hostilities. Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu condemned the assault as a clear breach of international standards, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen characterized the escalating attacks as reckless operations that endanger innocent lives and break international law. Moldova's foreign ministry also warned that maritime security and freedom of navigation are increasingly threatened.

In response to the surge in maritime violence, Romania, Ukraine, and Bulgaria have petitioned NATO to accelerate surveillance deployments across the region. The alliance recently pledged to enhance local security by providing additional radar infrastructure, aerial patrol craft, and uncrewed surveillance systems.

The strike followed an incident the previous weekend in which Romanian fighter jets brought down two advanced Russian drones flying within Romanian sovereign airspace. Russian officials offered no immediate statement regarding the Khoryv incident, though Moscow has routinely rejected claims of responsibility for attacks on regional commercial vessels.

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