Nicușor Dan says that the Wine Trader vessel, seriously damaged near Sulina, was hit by drones. Sailor: There were three

President Nicușor Dan stated on Thursday, in Brussels, that two aerial drones hit the commercial vessel Wine Trader, sailing under the flag of San Marino, near Sulina. The vessel is seriously damaged, and one of the five sailors rescued by Romanian intervention vessels stated that three drones hit the vessel.

Nicușor Dan's statement was made during a discussion with a journalist, on the sidelines of the European Council summit. Asked about the vessel that caught fire on Thursday morning and the cause of the incident, Nicușor Dan said that it had been hit by two drones, while specifying that the authorities did not yet have all the information.

Two separate incidents were reported near Sulina. One vessel was set on fire on Wednesday evening, in Romanian territorial waters, and a second one on Thursday morning, just outside them. In the case of the first vessel, no casualties were reported.

The president stated that Romania will have an official response after the facts are clarified. He discussed the incidents with the Bulgarian prime minister and met, together with him, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to assess the risks in the Black Sea. NATO announced the strengthening of counter-drone capabilities on the eastern flank.