On October 23, the Comoros-flagged merchant vessel Khoryv was involved in an accident in the Black Sea near the Romanian port of Constanța, following a suspected drone attack. The ship sustained severe damage and capsized, leaving one sailor dead, nine rescued and three others missing.
This was reported by Digi 24 and Romania TV.
At around 10:00 a.m., the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Constanța received a distress signal from the merchant vessel, which was approximately 24 km off the Romanian coast, outside the country’s territorial waters.
According to the Romanian Maritime Authority, there were 13 crew members on board — ten Ukrainian nationals and three Azerbaijani nationals.
Following a report of a fire on board, rescue vessels were dispatched to the scene. Another merchant ship nearby took ten sailors aboard, one of whom was dead. The nine survivors were subsequently transferred to a Romanian Coast Guard vessel.
According to the Coast Guard, the damaged ship capsized. Coast Guard vessels and ships operated by the Romanian Agency for Saving Life at Sea (ARSVOM) are continuing the search for the three missing sailors. A helicopter was prepared to assist in the operation, but adverse weather conditions and poor visibility have so far prevented its deployment.
Additional medical and rescue resources were deployed at the port of Constanța, including four SMURD ambulances, a mobile intensive care unit and a medical station.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan described the incident as part of Russia’s escalation. He said the situation in the Black Sea had been discussed at a meeting of Romania’s Supreme Council of National Defence on October 22, while a NATO committee had previously met at the request of Romania and Bulgaria.
“We will have additional equipment, and obviously this event is part of the escalation process that Russia is pursuing in the context of the war in Ukraine,” the Romanian president said.
According to Digi24, drones have attacked 11 merchant vessels in the Black Sea in recent weeks, seven of them near Romania.
