Croatian seafarer missing after drone attack on Black Sea tanker

One Croatian seafarer remains missing and another was injured in a drone attack on the tanker Wine Trader in Romanian waters of the Black Sea on October 15.

The San Marino-flagged vessel had 12 crew members on board, five of whom have been rescued. The search for the missing seafarers is continuing near the Romanian port of Sulina.

Romano Perić, assistant to the general secretary of the Croatian Seafarers' Union, said the operation was being hampered by the ship's distance from the port.

“The search continues for the sailors missing from the ship anchored off the Romanian port of Sulina. The operation has been hampered by the ship's distance from the port.

 Our union believes the vessel should be brought into port and the search continued there, as some areas inside the ship remain inaccessible. We believe the missing sailors may be in those areas,” Perić said.

The Seafarers' Union has also proposed declaring the Black Sea a war zone, which would allow seafarers to decide whether they are willing to sail in the area.

Croatian Ambassador to Romania Marija Kapitanović said the embassy was in regular contact with the injured Croatian seafarer, the shipowner, and the relevant authorities.

“The embassy is in regular contact with our national, who was briefly hospitalized and, according to the information we have, suffered minor burns. He has since been discharged and remains in Romania. He is doing well and waiting for the procedures to be completed,” Kapitanović said.