On 15 October 2026, a fire broke out on the San Marino-flagged tanker Wide Trader approximately 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina, Romania in its territorial Black Sea waters. The fire occurred around 7:00 am (0600 CET). Of the 12 people onboard, four are safe and eight are reported missing. A search and rescue operation involving a vessel and a helicopter is ongoing. Romanian authorities are investigating the incident and probing a possible drone attack as cause of fire amid a series of recent drone strikes in the Black Sea. This incident follows Romania's investigation into a potential drone attack on another tanker, the Comoros Islands-flagged Yara J. Defense Minister Radu Miruta stated the investigation is ongoing and emphasized the gravity due to the incidents occurring in Romanian territorial waters. The attacks are suspected to be conducted by Russian drones as spillover from the Ukraine war according to reports in the region. Bulgaria has also reported recent drone attacks on commercial vessels in their Black Sea waters, requesting NATO support to strengthen maritime security. The European Union is actively engaged in implementing a Black Sea Security Strategy aimed at protecting shipping lanes and critical infrastructure against hybrid threats such as drone attacks and cyberattacks.

On 15 October 2026, a fire broke out on the San Marino-flagged tanker Wide Trader approximately 13 nautical miles southeast of Sulina, Romania in its territorial Black Sea waters. The fire occurred around 7:00 am (0600 CET). Of the 12 people onboard, four are safe and eight are reported missing. A search and rescue operation involving a vessel and a helicopter is ongoing. Romanian authorities are investigating the incident and probing a possible drone attack as cause of fire amid a series of recent drone strikes in the Black Sea. This incident follows Romania's investigation into a potential drone attack on another tanker, the Comoros Islands-flagged Yara J. Defense Minister Radu Miruta stated the investigation is ongoing and emphasized the gravity due to the incidents occurring in Romanian territorial waters. The attacks are suspected to be conducted by Russian drones as spillover from the Ukraine war according to reports in the region. Bulgaria has also reported recent drone attacks on commercial vessels in their Black Sea waters, requesting NATO support to strengthen maritime security. The European Union is actively engaged in implementing a Black Sea Security Strategy aimed at protecting shipping lanes and critical infrastructure against hybrid threats such as drone attacks and cyberattacks.