Romania has resumed efforts to locate seven sailors missing from a chemical tanker that was struck by a drone near its Black Sea coast, authorities said. The missing crew members were aboard the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader, which was attacked early Thursday about one mile outside Romanian territorial waters. Of the 12 sailors on board, five were rescued following the incident, while search operations for the remaining crew have been complicated by adverse weather conditions, including strong winds and rough seas.

An interior ministry spokesperson confirmed that search teams returned to the vessel on Friday to continue rescue and identification efforts. A Black Hawk helicopter was scheduled to deploy four rescuers onto the tanker, with a ship conducting a parallel search of the surrounding waters.

The Wine Trader was one of two vessels targeted by drone strikes within approximately 12 hours near Romania’s coast. The second vessel, the Comoros-flagged chemical and oil tanker Yara J, was hit inside Romanian waters late Wednesday. Its crew was unharmed, and the ship was subsequently towed to the port of Constanta for inspection.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan stated that both ships were attacked using drones. A NATO military source attributed the strikes to Russia, underscoring the widening security risks for commercial shipping in a region adjacent to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The attacks occurred near the Sulina canal, a strategic waterway linking the Danube River to the Black Sea, which serves as a crucial export channel for Ukraine. In recent days, the area has witnessed a surge in hostile incidents against maritime traffic, with at least five other cargo ships damaged off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria. These events have resulted in 23 sailors being declared dead or missing, most of them outside NATO territorial waters.

In response to the escalating threat, Bulgaria has requested NATO support to deploy combat aircraft and anti-drone defense systems to enhance its maritime security capabilities. Romanian authorities have similarly sought additional equipment to bolster their defenses against such attacks, reflecting growing concerns about the spillover of the Ukraine conflict into Black Sea shipping lanes.