By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
A drone strike sank the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv off Romania on October 23, killing a Ukrainian sailor and leaving three crew members missing. Romania is seeking faster deployment of additional NATO surveillance assets in the Black Sea with Türkiye and Bulgaria.
The Romanian Naval Authority received a distress alert at about 10 a.m. The vessel was roughly 13 nautical miles east of Constanța, outside Romanian territorial waters. Romanian authorities said 13 people were aboard: 10 Ukrainians and three Azerbaijanis. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry reported 14, without explaining the discrepancy.
Nine Rescued, Three Still Missing
Another merchant vessel reached the Khoryv first and recovered nine survivors and one body, Romania's Border Police said. The Coast Guard later took the survivors aboard. High winds and poor visibility prevented a helicopter from assisting.
The Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM) received a rescue request at 10:15 a.m. and sent SAR ARTEMIS to the scene. Its crew continued searching for the three missing sailors before returning to Constanța at 7:05 p.m. ARSVOM reported that all three remained missing but did not announce an end to the wider search.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry identified the dead sailor as Ukrainian and said four other Ukrainians, including the captain, had been hospitalized. Two did not require medical treatment. Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry confirmed that all three Azerbaijani sailors survived, one with minor injuries. Ukraine said the ship had departed a Turkish port.
Romania Seeks Faster NATO Surveillance
Romanian President Nicușor Dan said a drone had struck the ship and linked the attack to Russia's escalation of its war against Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the incident. Romanian authorities have not released technical findings identifying who launched the drone.
Romanian Foreign Minister Dan Neculăescu said Bucharest was coordinating with NATO allies, including Türkiye and Bulgaria, to accelerate additional surveillance capabilities agreed by the North Atlantic Council on October 20 after earlier attacks on commercial vessels.
NATO said allies had deployed or were preparing to send maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, drones and specialist personnel to the Black Sea. Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence called for faster work on maritime surveillance, mine countermeasures and drone defenses on October 22. Neither announcement established a standing merchant-ship escort mission.
The European Parliament voted 432–52 on October 22, with 88 abstentions, to call for consideration of an EU naval operation in the Black Sea. The vote did not launch an operation.
Türkiye and Bulgaria Seek Shipping Protection
Bulgaria had already called for a moratorium on attacks against merchant ships and sought stronger EU and NATO support after incidents near its coast and Romania's. Sofia also wants maritime security proposals developed with Türkiye and Romania. No moratorium has been agreed.
Türkiye proposed measures to protect commercial shipping in September and raised them with Moscow and Kyiv. Neither Russia nor Ukraine has been confirmed to have accepted Ankara's proposal.
Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria operate a joint mine-countermeasures task group. Its mandate was expanded in July to cover critical undersea infrastructure, but it has no standing mandate to escort merchant ships or defend them against aerial attacks.
Romanian authorities had not confirmed the Khoryv's cargo or released a forensic report identifying the drone. Three sailors remained missing in ARSVOM's latest Friday evening update.
Sources: Romanian Naval Authority, Romanian Border Police, Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea, Romanian Presidential Administration, Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NATO, European Parliament, European Commission, Reuters, Associated Press, Bosphorus News review and reporting.