Sofia, Oct 23 — A Comoros-flagged merchant ship carrying a crew of 10 Ukrainians and three Azerbaijani nationals was attacked in the Black Sea near the Romanian port city of Constanta, leaving at least one sailor dead, national media reported on Friday.
The Maritime Coordination Centre within the Romanian Naval Authority was alerted about the incident at around 10:00 am local time (0700 GMT) on Friday, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Rescue vessels have recovered nine people alive from the water and retrieved one body, reported Romania's national news agency Agerpres.
The Bulgarian National Television said the ship was hit by a drone.
Last week, Romania said that two F-16 fighter jets of its Air Force shot down two drones that entered the country’s airspace without authorisation over the Black Sea, and announced that a dedicated meeting of the North Atlantic Council will be held on October 20 at its initiative to discuss Black Sea defence and deterrence.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu said the first drone entered national airspace at 17:59 local time and was shot down within two minutes, 25 km south-east of Sulina, while the second was engaged and downed at 18:05 in the same area, 20 km east of Sulina, four minutes after entering the airspace.
"The Black Sea will be safe again," Toiu said on social media platform X.
"The Black Sea serves as a critical maritime artery for the global export of grain, energy resources, and industrial commodities, making its stability vital to international food and energy security. We have briefed our Allies and EU partners," the Foreign Minister added.
"Our military has prepared for an increased intensity of hybrid interference and will continue to prioritise air defence and maritime security," Toiu said.
"At Romania's initiative, we will have a dedicated meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Tuesday (October 20) to discuss Black Sea defence and deterrence. Romania and Bulgaria are in close contact at all levels for increased coordination and accelerate operational steps towards the establishment of the EU Maritime Security Hub in the Black Sea," the Minister added.