What happened

Romanian authorities said on Friday, 23 October 2026, that a cargo ship flying the Comoros flag caught fire in the Black Sea, leaving one sailor dead and three missing. The Romanian Naval Authority placed the vessel about 13 nautical miles east of Constanța, and the Maritime Coordination Center was alerted around 10:00 local time. The Ministry of Interior said the ship suffered heavy damage, capsized and faced an imminent risk of sinking. Of the 13 people on board, ten were recovered by another commercial vessel, nine alive and one dead, while three others are still missing. Sources differ on the name: Europa Press reported the vessel as the Joriv, Romanian outlets named it the Khoryv, and Mediafax cited an unconfirmed claim that it was the Sakis Antoniou. Some sources said the ship may already have sunk after the incident.

Drone claims and official statements

Romanian President Nicușor Dan wrote on Facebook that the ship had been hit by a drone and sank near the country's territorial waters, adding that one sailor had died and three others were still being sought.

“Unfortunately, one sailor has died and three others are still being searched for.”

Romanian authorities had not confirmed whether a drone hit the ship, and the Ministry of Interior's statement referred only to a fire on board. Reuters reported that Dan described the incident as part of Russian escalation in the region. Foreign Minister Dan Neculăescu called the deadly attack a flagrant violation of international law, writing on X.

“The deadly attack on a commercial ship just 13 nautical miles from Constanța is a flagrant violation of international law and freedom of navigation.”

Neculăescu said Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine was escalating and directly affecting commercial shipping in the Black Sea, which he described as a direct threat to regional and global security. He said Romania is working closely with NATO allies, including Bulgaria and Turkey, to speed up extra surveillance capabilities agreed at the North Atlantic Council meeting on 20 October. Mediafax also reported that Dan had asked NATO for more counter-drone and surveillance capabilities in the Black Sea region, a request discussed at that council meeting.

Crew and rescue effort

The Romanian Naval Authority said 13 people were aboard, ten of them Ukrainian citizens and three Azerbaijanis. The Coast Guard took over the nine rescued people from the merchant ship that first picked them up. A Coast Guard vessel and an ARSVOM ship were searching for the three missing, while a helicopter from the General Aviation Inspectorate was on pre-alert but weather conditions ruled out aerial work. Resources at the Port of Constanța were increased to four SMURD ambulances, a mobile intensive care unit, two special vehicles for casualty transport and an advanced medical post. Europa Press, citing preliminary information, reported that at least ten people aboard were injured, a figure the ministry's statements did not repeat.

Rescued alive9

Dead1

Missing3

Rescued alive

9 people

Dead

1 people

Missing

3 people

Data from the article text

Earlier incidents in the Black Sea

Mediafax described this as the third serious incident in the Black Sea in October. On 5 October the Turkish ship Royad Mammadov, loaded with grain, was hit by drones near the Pescăruș platform and sank, and two sailors died, with 11 crew rescued according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On 15 October the San Marino-flagged Wine Trader was damaged 14 nautical miles off Sulina, and the ARSVOM ship Apollo was sent on a mission, with five sailors brought to Constanța by a Black Hawk helicopter. According to initial information, the latest incident occurred just beyond Romania's 12-nautical-mile territorial waters.