Drone strike capsizes Comoros-flagged Khoryv off Constanta, one sailor dead

Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria have asked NATO to do more to protect Black Sea shipping, Meduza, the Sofia Globe and the Kyiv Post reported.

Romanian President Nicusor Dan has blamed Russia for the drone strike that capsized the Khoryv off Constanta on Friday. He called it part of Russia's escalation in its war in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

The Comoros-flagged ship was sailing from Eregli, Turkiye, to Sulina, Romania, carrying ferrous metals, the Sofia Globe reported. Al Jazeera reported that it sent a distress signal at about 10 am local time on Friday from 13 nautical miles (24 km) off Constanta, just outside Romania's territorial waters.

Of the 13 crew, 10 Ukrainian and three Azerbaijani nationals, nine were rescued and one body was recovered, the Sofia Globe reported. Three remain missing.

Al Jazeera reported at least seven cargo ships hit and about 30 sailors killed or missing off Romania and Bulgaria in the past two weeks. Reuters reported that most of the attacked ships were near the Sulina Channel, which became the main export route for Ukrainian grain and vegetable oil after strikes on Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

The Kyiv Post reported that NATO is preparing to reinforce surveillance, and the Sofia Globe reported that earlier incidents led NATO to step up military aircraft deployments. Romania's president has already urged members to raise readiness while avoiding escalation. The alliance is weighing whether Black Sea attacks should be treated as harassment or as grounds for a formal response, and a death now tied to a strike bears directly on that choice.