Three merchant ships struck by drones in the Black Sea
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sowetan
Three merchant ships were struck by drones on Saturday evening near the Sulina Canal in Romania, with no casualties, according to Defence Minister Stefan Radu Oprea. Prime Minister Luca Niculescu sees this as a consequence of Russia’s war in Ukraine, while Moscow denies targeting Ukraine’s neighbours.
Three merchant ships were hit by drones on Saturday evening in the Black Sea, near the Sulina Canal in Romania, with no casualties. Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu announced the strikes on Sunday, according to Reuters.
The vessels concerned are the Greek oil and chemical tanker Evia Petrol V, the bulk carrier Marsol and the product tanker Ali Najafov, all three flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Romanian Defence Minister Stefan Radu Oprea said the Evia Petrol V and the Marsol had been hit in Romanian territorial waters and that the crews had brought the fires under control.
A fourth ship, the cargo vessel Larissa 1 flying the flag of Palau, had also been hit on Friday evening, with no casualties, according to Reuters. Romanian authorities did not attribute the drones to any side, but Luca Niculescu linked the incidents to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Romanian forces scrambled their fighter jets twice in response to the attacks. France has temporarily deployed an Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft to Romania, while Stefan Radu Oprea is to meet his defence counterparts in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss, among other things, surveillance patrols and anti-drone capabilities, according to Reuters. These strikes are part of a series of attacks on ships near the Sulina Canal, following two ships struck in the Black Sea near Bulgaria on 13 October.
