Drone strike sinks cargo ship off Romania; one dead, three missing

A drone strike set fire to and sank the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv about 13 nautical miles east of Constanța on Friday, October 23, just outside Romania’s territorial waters, Romanian authorities and news agencies reported. One crew member died, three were missing and nine were rescued from the 13-person crew: 10 Ukrainians and three Azerbaijanis. Rough seas and poor visibility prevented helicopter search operations, the Romanian Naval Authority said. The ship had left Turkey and was heading toward Sulina, at the mouth of the Danube route used for Ukrainian exports, according to shipping data cited by the Associated Press and Reuters. The attack adds to a wider run of strikes on commercial vessels near Romania and Bulgaria. AP reported at least seven other cargo ships had been attacked this month along both NATO coastlines; published reports give differing cumulative casualty totals for the wider series. Romanian President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia and called the strike part of its escalation against Ukraine. That is Romania’s attribution; the public reporting does not provide an independent forensic finding identifying who launched the drone. The cargo aboard Khoryv has not been reported. Search-and-rescue teams continued looking for the three missing sailors. The incident threatens shipping routes close to NATO territory and the Danube corridor, which Ukraine relies on for seaborne exports. It is a separate attack from the Wine Trader and Yara J incidents covered in [our earlier Black Sea shipping report](https://www.mushimu.com/post/9004). The Associated Press reported the ship’s identity, crew and rescue status in its [latest account](https://apnews.com/article/34175023d59ded8d4d3f82baa7087f1b); Reuters reported Romania’s accusation and the ship’s position [here](https://www.investing.com/news/world-news/romania-blames-russia-for-drone-that-sinks-cargo-ship-1-killed-3-missing-4968863). ~worldnews ~romania ~blacksea ~ukraine