---
title: "Drones Attack Three Vessels Near Danube Delta: Romania Scrambles Jets Twice"
description: "Romanian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Luca Niculescu reported a drone attack on three commercial vessels near the Danube Delta on November 14. The Romanian Air Force scrambled fighter jets twice; Bucharest calls the incident a violation of international law."
date: 2026-11-15T17:25:43.059Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/drones-attack-vessels-danube-delta-romania
tags: [romania, black-sea, drones, military, nato, ukraine-war, maritime-security]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Drones Attack Three Vessels Near Danube Delta: Romania Scrambles Jets Twice

![Drone attack on a cargo ship in the Black Sea during sunset](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/15/drony-atakuvatri-sudna-u-delti-dunaya-romyniya-podnyala-istrebiteli/drony-atakuvatri-sudna-u-delti-dunaya-romyniya-podnyala-istrebiteli-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Drones attacked three commercial vessels off the coast of Sulina in the Danube Delta on the evening of November 14, 2026
- The Romanian Air Force scrambled fighter jets twice after aerial targets were recorded by Ministry of Defence radars
- Romanian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Luca Niculescu called the incident a violation of international law
- The incident is part of a series of attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea, including events on October 23 and October 13 off the coast of Bulgaria

On Saturday evening, November 14, unmanned aerial vehicles struck three commercial vessels in the waters off the coast of Sulina in the Danube Delta region. In response to the detected aerial targets, the Romanian Air Force scrambled fighter jets twice. This was stated by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Luca Niculescu, whose remarks were reported by RBC-Ukraine citing his post on the social network X.

### Incident Progression and Military Response

According to Niculescu, the radar systems of the Romanian Ministry of Defence recorded aerial targets near the Danube Delta. Against the backdrop of the detected objects, the Air Force command twice deployed fighter jets to intercept and identify the targets. The specific characteristics of the drones, the type of damage inflicted on the vessels, and whether there were any casualties among the crews were not disclosed at the time of publication. The incident occurred in Romania's territorial waters, which Bucharest assesses as a direct violation of sovereignty and international maritime law.

### Official Position of Bucharest

Luca Niculescu called the event "unacceptable" and "a violation of international law," emphasizing that such incidents reflect the deterioration of the situation in the region caused, in his view, by Russia's prolonged war against Ukraine. The State Secretary stated that he remains in constant contact with relevant agencies and that the safety of sailors is an absolute priority. According to his statement, Romania will continue to take all necessary measures together with allies to strengthen security in the Black Sea, and this issue remains a key priority for the government in close cooperation with regional partners and NATO.

### Series of Incidents in the Black Sea

The attack on the three vessels near Sulina is not an isolated case. That same evening, November 14, in Romania's territorial waters near the settlement of Sfântu Gheorghe, a drone attacked a vessel sailing under the flag of Palau toward Ukraine; according to available reports, no one was injured in that attack. Earlier, on the morning of October 23, a more severe accident occurred in the same area: a merchant ship with Ukrainian citizens on board sank off the coast of Romania. The preliminary cause of the accident was also a drone strike—one person died, and several crew members are missing.

### Broader Context: Vulnerability of Regional Shipping

The events off the Romanian coast fit into a series of attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea recorded throughout 2026. In particular, on October 13 off the coast of Bulgaria, drones attacked two merchant vessels—the Maltese cargo ship Chelsea 3, registered in Odesa and owned by Ukraine, as well as the vessel Azov Concord under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, which subsequently sank. Bulgarian authorities then turned to NATO and the EU for assistance, and the alliance did not rule out strengthening defense in the Black Sea. The recurring nature of such incidents in various parts of the waters underscores the systemic threat to commercial shipping and strengthens the arguments of regional countries in favor of expanding collective security measures.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Дроны атаковали три гражданских судна вблизи Румынии](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/droni-atakuvali-tri-tsivilni-sudna-poblizu-1794760678.html) - Primary source: statement by Romanian Foreign Ministry State Secretary L. Niculescu on X, relayed by RBC-Ukraine. The fact of the statement is confirmed; details of the incident (three vessels, two fighter jet sorties) are based on a single source.
- [Дроны вновь атаковали два судна у побережья Болгарии](https://www.dw.com/ru/drony-vnov-atakovali-dva-sudna-u-pobereza-bolgarii/a-79648507) - Confirms the broader context of attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea (10.13.2026, Bulgaria). Used as a contextual source.
- [У берегов Болгарии дроны атаковали два гражданских судна. Власти страны вызовут посла России](https://news.liga.net/world/news/u-beregov-bolgarii-drony-atakovali-dva-grazhdanskih-sudna-vlasti-strany-vyzovut-posla-rossii) - Additional confirmation of the 10.13.2026 incident off Bulgaria, details regarding the vessel Chelsea 3 and Azov Concord. Contextual source.
- [У берегов Болгарии дроны атаковали два судна, одно из них затонуло](https://charter97.org/ru/news/2026/10/13/701684/) - Another confirmation of the 10.13.2026 incident. Contextual source.

## FAQ

### How many vessels were attacked near the Danube Delta?

According to Romanian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Luca Niculescu, drones attacked three commercial vessels off the coast of Sulina in the Danube Delta area on the evening of November 14, 2026.

### How did the Romanian Air Force react?

The Romanian Air Force scrambled fighter jets twice into the air after the Ministry of Defence radars recorded aerial targets near the Danube Delta.

### Are there any casualties among the sailors?

The statement by the Romanian Foreign Ministry State Secretary does not provide information on casualties. Niculescu emphasized that the safety of sailors is an absolute priority, but no specific data on dead or wounded was reported at the time of publication.

### Is this the first such incident off the coast of Romania?

No. On the morning of October 23, 2026, a merchant ship with Ukrainians on board sank off the same coast, preliminarily due to a drone strike; one person died. On the evening of November 14, the same day as the Sulina attack, a drone attacked a vessel flying the Palau flag near Sfântu Gheorghe.

### What is Romania's position regarding the incident?

Bucharest called the incident unacceptable and a violation of international law. Romania stated that it will continue to take measures together with allies and NATO to strengthen security in the Black Sea.