On August 29, a merchant ship caught fire and sank off the coast of Romania in the Black Sea, likely after being hit, according to Romanian President Nicusor Dan and local authorities.
The Romanian Border Police confirmed on Friday that there was a fire on board the commercial ship sailing in Romania's exclusive economic zone, but they did not specify what caused it.
Since Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, shipping and port facilities in the Black Sea have faced repeated attacks, with these incidents increasing in frequency in 2026.
President Dan told reporters at a news conference in Chisinau, Moldova, that “the ship was hit… it seems to have sunk.” He added that there was currently no information on who might have carried out the attack.
He also mentioned that an investigation would take place but advised against jumping to conclusions, noting that the incident happened outside Romania's territorial waters.
The Romanian Border Police stated that all 12 crew members on the merchant ship were rescued.
Of the total, 10 were rescued by border guards, one of whom was injured, while the other two were saved by the ship's crew.