Romanian authorities were searching for three missing sailors after a cargo ship capsized in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania on Friday, killing at least one crew member and prompting President Nicusor Dan to accuse Russia of escalating attacks on NATO’s eastern flank.
The Comoros-flagged Khoryv, carrying 13 Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors, sent a distress signal about 13 nautical miles off the Romanian port of Constanta, just beyond the country’s territorial waters, the Romanian Naval Authority said. Nine sailors were rescued, one body was recovered and three remained missing.
Video released by Romania’s Interior Ministry showed only a small section of the ship’s hull above the waves as it sank. Emergency vessels continued searching for survivors amid rough seas and strong winds. The cause of the incident was not immediately clear.
Dan said the incident illustrated Russia’s “escalation process in its war in Ukraine”, following a drone strike that sank the vessel.
The incident comes amid a surge in attacks on commercial shipping in the Black Sea. Over the past two weeks, at least seven cargo ships have been hit off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, with around 30 sailors reported dead or missing.
NATO said on Tuesday it would deploy additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea, although the alliance has not specified which capabilities would be sent. On Saturday (October 17), Romanian jets shot down two Russian drones over Romanian territorial waters.
(With agency inputs from Reuters)