A tanker flying the flag of San Marino caught fire, eight sailors are missing, and the attack behind it could end up on NATO’s table. The case of the Wine Trader, struck in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania, goes well beyond a rescue emergency: it touches on the security of commercial shipping routes near the war in Ukraine and the response of Alliance members bordering those waters.
The diplomatic fallout was first reconstructed by the Greek financial newspaper Naftemporiki, which reports that Romania and Bulgaria are considering whether to request consultations under Article 4 of the NATO Treaty. This is the mechanism that allows a member state to convene its allies when it believes its security or territorial integrity is under threat. What is being discussed, then, is a request for talks on measures to protect maritime navigation.
The Wine Trader was located roughly 13 nautical miles east of the mouth of the Danube, near Sulina, en route from Tunisia to Romania. According to the account given by the outlet, a series of explosions was reported at around 7 a.m. Romania’s president confirmed it was a drone attack, while early updates from maritime authorities had referred only to a fire.
Who actually struck the ship remains to be established. That uncertainty looms over the entire affair. Naftemporiki reports that Russian drones were spotted overnight near Ukraine’s Snake Island, not far from where the incident occurred. Moscow has also announced that it struck two merchant vessels which, according to its own account, were carrying military cargo to Odesa. However, it did not name the ships or link that operation to the Wine Trader – details that, on their own, do not allow responsibility for the attack to be attributed.
Tensions had already been running high following attacks on two merchant vessels off the coast of Bulgaria on Tuesday. According to the Greek newspaper, one ship sank and eleven crew members are missing. Sofia has voiced suspicions of Russian involvement and summoned Moscow’s diplomatic representative to demand explanations.
Behind these incidents lies the broader confrontation over shipping routes to Ukrainian ports. Russia claims it is targeting weapons shipments and goods that could also serve military purposes. Kyiv and its European allies, meanwhile, denounce attacks on commercial vessels carrying grain and other civilian goods. The protection of merchant shipping has thus become an issue directly involving Romania and Bulgaria, both NATO members.
On the operational front, talks announced with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are expected to address maritime surveillance needs and the availability of additional equipment. Meanwhile, search operations continue around the tanker: of the twelve crew members, four have been found alive and eight remain missing. Two Black Hawk helicopters and two rescue boats are taking part in the operation, though high waves are making it harder to reach the vessel.
