Romania Blames Russia After Drone Strike Sinks Khoryv Cargo Ship Off Constanta

Drone sinks Khoryv

A drone strike sank the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv in the Black Sea off Romania’s coast, killing one crew member and leaving three others missing. Romanian authorities said the Khoryv sent a distress signal about 10am local time, and the Romanian Naval Authority said nine sailors were rescued while one body was recovered and three were missing during a search and rescue operation hampered by poor weather conditions and low visibility. Romania’s President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for the attack, calling it “a new example of the tragic consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine”.

Casualties and rescues5 of 8 outlets reported it · not in CBC and 2 more▾

Romanian aviation shot down two Russian drones over the Black Sea last weekend, and NATO said it would deploy more aircraft and radar systems due to attacks on maritime traffic. The Khoryv’s crew included ten Ukrainian citizens and three Azerbaijanis, and the vessel was 13 nautical miles from the Romanian port of Constanta, just outside Romania’s territorial waters.

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Varied death tolls

The CBC described the HS Dignity sinking after a sea drone struck its hull, and the crew gathered on deck in the early hours of Oct. 13 as the captain ordered them to abandon the vessel.

Ashraf Mamdouh, the vessel’s 42-year-old chief officer, said, “We realized that this boat was also part of the group that was attacking us. Of course, we all ran,” after the crew saw a boat moving quickly toward them with no one driving.

CBC reported that at least 31 seafarers have been killed or are missing in the attacks, and CBC said maritime analysts described nearly 50 commercial vessels as attacked in the Black Sea this month as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalates at sea.

Al Jazeera said the Khoryv sinking was part of a wider surge, with at least seven cargo ships hit and 30 sailors reported killed or missing in the past two weeks.

CBC added that maritime risk management firm Ambrey shared data suggesting there have been more than 500 attacks on commercial vessels this year in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, and Ambrey believed Russia was responsible for 40 of 45 attacks recorded in October.

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NATO and regional response

NATO said it would deploy additional aircraft, drones, and radar systems in the Black Sea due to attacks on ships, after Romania and European officials blamed Russia for the Khoryv strike. Romania’s Supreme Defense Council meeting led the presidency to state that “threats to freedom of navigation and to critical infrastructure have significantly increased,” and Romania weighed an “accelerated development of maritime surveillance capabilities, mine countermeasures, and effective countermeasures against drones”. Romania’s Prime Minister Luca Niculescu called the attack “unacceptable and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law,” and Moldova’s Foreign Ministry posted on X that “Russia’s continued escalation in the Black Sea endangers civilian lives, threatens freedom of navigation and undermines regional security.”

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The ABC account said adverse weather and poor visibility prevented an aerial rescue operation with a helicopter, and the Romanian Naval Authority said rescue teams recovered nine people alive and one body while three remained missing. BGNES said that in 18 days eight merchant vessels had been struck or involved in incidents linked to drone attacks off Bulgaria and Romania, and it said the KHORYV incident left one sailor dead, three missing and nine rescued.

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