Commercial vessel catches fire in Romanian waters, president suggests it was an attack

A commercial vessel caught fire in the Black Sea in Romania's exclusive economic zone on the evening of 27 August. The crew of 12 sailors was rescued.

As reported by News.ro, representatives of the Romanian Naval Authority (ANR) announced that on 27 August at approximately 17:55 they received notification of a fire on the vessel PROGRESS IV, sailing under the flag of the Dominican Republic, which was last detected approximately 15 nautical miles from Sfântu Gheorghe in Romania's exclusive economic zone.

"The commercial vessel MOHAMAD B was immediately directed to the area, and [Romanian sea rescue agency – ed.] ARSVOM's rescue vessels, SAR ARES and SAR ARTEMIS, were urgently mobilised, along with the vessel MAI 0201 (Border Police), appointed as on-scene coordinator," ANR representatives stated.

There were 12 crew members aboard PROGRESS IV, all of whom were rescued. One person was injured.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan, commenting on the incident, suggested that the ship may have been attacked. At the same time, he urged people "not to engage in speculation".

"The vessel was struck and appears to have sunk, but at this point we do not know by whom, by what exactly… An investigation will be conducted, everything will become clear, but we should not engage in speculation," Dan said at a press conference.

On 27 August, Romania's radar surveillance system detected an aerial asset 33 km north of Ukraine's Snake Island. Two F-18 fighter jets of the Spanish Air and Space Force were scrambled.

On 26 August, debris from an unidentified drone was found on a beach in Olimp in Romania's Constanța County.

On the same day, drone wreckage was found on several beaches in Bulgaria.