Khoryv Sunk Off Romania After Drone Strike, 1 Dead

A cargo ship carrying 13 crew members sank in the Black Sea on Friday morning after what Romanian officials say was a Russian drone strike, the latest in a series of attacks targeting merchant shipping between Romania and Bulgaria.

The Khoryv, a 1983-built Comoros-flagged OBO ship (3,280 dwt), issued a distress call while roughly 13 nautical miles east of Constanta, sailing from Turkey to Romania's Salina Canal, which provides access to the Danube. Romania's Interior Ministry reported major damage and a fire after the strike. The Khoryv subsequently capsized.

A passing cargo ship pulled nine survivors from the water. One crew member's body was recovered. Three Ukrainian sailors are still missing. The Romanian Coast Guard transported the nine to shore while the search continued; aerial operations were grounded by weather, with a helicopter on standby. The Khoryv's crew consisted of ten Ukrainians and three Azerbaijani nationals.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan placed the blame directly on Russia. "This attack is a new example of the tragic consequences of Russia's aggression against Ukraine," he said. The country's newly appointed prime minister (in office for only days) called the strike "unacceptable and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law." Romania's Ministry of Defense had announced just the day before that it was accelerating development of maritime surveillance capabilities, including mine countermeasures and drone defenses.

It was at least the seventh attack on a cargo ship in the waters between Romania and Bulgaria in recent weeks, with around 30 seafarers reported missing or killed across those incidents. Last week, drones struck two ships near the Sulina Canal, including the Wine Trader, which was left with seven crew members missing. The pattern has spread beyond the Black Sea: a drone hit a cargo ship off the Oman coast days earlier, leaving two seafarers unaccounted for.

The European Parliament voted 432 to 52 on Thursday to recommend the EU deploy a naval operation in the Black Sea, and it pressed Bulgaria to take a firmer stance against Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the attacks "target innocent lives and openly defy international law." NATO has resolved to deploy additional assets to the region.

Ukraine has continued routing cargo through Romanian waters and the Salina Canal following Russian pressure elsewhere in the Black Sea, leaving ships on that route increasingly exposed.