Drones Strike Three Ships Near Romania's Sulina Canal in NATO Waters Late Saturday

Drones struck three commercial ships in the Black Sea near Romania's Sulina canal late on Saturday, hitting two of them inside Romanian territorial waters. The Sulina canal drone strikes were announced by Romanian Prime Minister Luca Niculescu on Sunday, November 15, 2026, and Romania's armed forces scrambled fighter jets twice. Defence Minister Stefan Radu Oprea said there were no casualties and crews brought the fires on board under control, as Bucharest called the attacks a direct consequence of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Key Points

• Drones hit three ships near Romania's Sulina canal late Saturday, November 14, 2026, and Romanian fighter jets scrambled twice.
• The Greek-flagged tanker Evia Petrol V and bulk carrier Marsol were struck 4 and 5 nautical miles southeast of the canal, inside Romanian territorial waters.
• The oil products tanker Ali Najafov was also hit; the Marsol and Ali Najafov sail under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
• Defence Minister Stefan Radu Oprea said there were no casualties and crews controlled the fires on board.
• Prime Minister Luca Niculescu called the strikes a violation of international law, while France moved a patrol aircraft to Romania.

What Happened

The strikes came late on Saturday night near the Sulina canal, the channel linking the Danube River to the Black Sea. Two vessels — the Evia Petrol V and the Marsol — were hit 4 and 5 nautical miles southeast of the canal entrance, inside waters Romania claims as its own. The Ali Najafov was hit in the same attack.

The Evia Petrol V is a Greek-flagged oil and chemical tanker. The Marsol is a bulk carrier, and the Ali Najafov is an oil products tanker; both sail under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis. Fires broke out on board, and the crews brought them under control. No one was killed or injured, Defence Minister Stefan Radu Oprea said.

Romania's armed forces scrambled fighter jets twice, Prime Minister Luca Niculescu said on Sunday. A separate cargo ship was also hit by a drone late on Friday near Sfantu Gheorghe, as covered in our separate report on the Larissa strike

Background and Context

The Sulina canal is one of the region's most important waterways. It is the main Romanian shipping lane linking the Danube to the Black Sea, and a vital outlet for Ukrainian exports since Russia's full-scale invasion closed or threatened other routes. Grain, oil and other cargo pass through it every day.

The Black Sea has become the most dangerous shipping lane in the world this autumn. Earlier this month, a surge of Russian drone attacks on merchant shipping killed or left missing at least 30 mariners, as we reported in our coverage of the drone attacks that made the Black Sea the world's deadliest waterway. Saturday's strikes continue that campaign, but they are the first to hit ships this close to the Romanian coast and inside Romanian territorial waters.

Romania's air defences have been on near-constant alert. Defence Ministry data shows 23 airspace violations in 2026, more than the 18 recorded from 2022 to the end of 2025 combined, and at least 42 NATO air-policing missions have flown this year.

The Sulina Canal Drone Strikes and NATO's Black Sea Line

What sets the Sulina canal drone strikes apart is where they happened. The drones did not merely pass near NATO territory or strike a ship in international waters. Two vessels were hit inside Romanian territorial waters, and the third was hit in the same stretch of sea, off a NATO member's coast

The distinction matters for how NATO reads the incident. An object crossing allied airspace triggers a scramble; a strike on a ship in allied waters raises harder questions about intent, deterrence and response. Bucharest has so far treated the attacks as a consequence of the war next door rather than a deliberate attack on Romania itself, and no NATO consultation has been announced.

Attribution remains the open question. Romanian officials have not said who launched the drones, and no group has claimed responsibility. If the evidence points to a Russian launch, Bucharest will face pressure to respond, and NATO will face fresh questions about whether air-policing patrols are enough when the threat comes by sea as well as by air.

Reactions and Quotes

Prime Minister Luca Niculescu announced the strikes on Sunday and left no doubt about Bucharest's view of them. The attacks, he said, are "unacceptable and constitute a violation of international law". He described them as a direct consequence of Russia's war in Ukraine, even as officials stopped short of attributing the drones to Moscow.

Defence Minister Stefan Radu Oprea gave the operational details. He set out what Romania wants from its allies: surveillance-aircraft patrols and counter-drone equipment. France has already answered part of that call, temporarily relocating an Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft to Romania.

Why It Matters

The Sulina strikes matter first for the people who work the sea. Merchant crews sailing into the Danube now face the same drone threat that has killed at least 30 of their colleagues this autumn, and every attack raises the cost of keeping Ukraine's export trade moving. Insurers, shipowners and crews all watch incidents like this when they decide whether a voyage is worth the risk.

They matter, too, for NATO. The alliance has spent the year scrambling jets over Romania, Poland and the Baltic states as drones and missiles stray across its borders. A strike on ships inside a member's territorial waters is a new test of that line.

What Happens Next

Romanian investigators will now try to establish what hit the three ships and where the drones came from. No timeline has been given, and no attribution has been made.

Allied surveillance is set to increase. France's Atlantique 2 is already in Romania, and Defence Minister Oprea's call for more surveillance-aircraft patrols and counter-drone equipment is likely to be taken up at NATO level in the coming days. Romanian jets will keep scrambling every time radar picks up a target near the coast.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened near the Sulina canal? Drones struck three commercial ships late on Saturday, November 14, 2026, near Romania's Sulina canal. Two were hit inside Romanian territorial waters, and Romanian fighter jets scrambled twice.

Which ships were hit? The Greek-flagged oil and chemical tanker Evia Petrol V, the bulk carrier Marsol, and the oil products tanker Ali Najafov. The Marsol and Ali Najafov sail under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Was anyone hurt? No. Defence Minister Stefan Radu Oprea said there were no casualties and the crews controlled the fires on board.

Who launched the drones? Romanian officials have not identified the origin. They called the strikes a direct consequence of Russia's war in Ukraine; Russia has denied targeting Ukraine's neighbours with drones.

Why is the Sulina canal important? It is the main Romanian shipping lane linking the Danube to the Black Sea, and a key outlet for Ukrainian exports. Attacks near it threaten a vital trade route.