A cargo ship in distress in the Black Sea, about 13 nautical miles east of Constanța has left one crew member dead and three others missing Friday, Romanian authorities said, as a large-scale search and rescue operation continued in the Black Sea area.
The Maritime Coordination Center within the Romanian Naval Authority was alerted Friday around 10:00 that the Khoryv was in distress outside Romanian territorial waters, at a distance of 13 nautical miles off Constanța.
Russian drone impact, #black_sea, 13 nautical miles- #Romania.
— WhiteBird | War Witness (@white_bird_3) October 23, 2026
👉1 dead, 3 missing others rescued
👉Ship capsized and sank pic.twitter.com/MzGgBGKsXF
Immediately after, the alert prompted the Romanian Agency for Life Saving at Sea, ARSVOM, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to set off to recover the sailors.
On board, the vessel had 13 crew members, and 10 Ukrainian citizens and three Azerbaijani nationals, according to the Romanian Naval Authority
Intervention ships have recovered nine people alive so far and one body from the water. Three crew members remained missing.
Cargo ship capsized and sank about 13 nautical miles off Constanța, Romania, after a drone strike. The vessel, identified as KHORYV (IMO 8138712.) The attack occurred in the Black Sea, outside Romania’s territorial waters but near the border. Of the 13 crew members (10 are… pic.twitter.com/ifDv3wzWP9
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 23, 2026
In a press release, the ANR said weather limited the response:
“Due to the unfavorable weather conditions and low visibility, aerial intervention with a helicopter is not possible.”
In the prime minister’s words, the ship suffered major damage and was at risk of sinking. It was reported to be Comoros-flagged and traveling from Ereğli, Turkey toward Sulina.
The crew issued a Mayday call citing a drone attack. Authorities have not confirmed that account. The cause has not been established.
At 12:59, Defense Minister Ștefan-Radu Oprea confirmed he was in permanent contact with the Coast Guard, which is taking part in the rescue operation
The incident is the latest in a series of at least seven commercial vessels affected since Oct. 5 in the western Black Sea, many near the Sulina Channel, the main route for Ukrainian exports.
Previous cases include the Royad Mammadov on Oct. 5, in which two people died, and the Wine Trader on Oct. 14-15, in which seven were reported missing.
Romanian and Ukrainian authorities have attributed some of the October incidents to suspected drone strikes.
Russian officials on the other hand have repeatedly denied involvement. Bulgarian officials have said conclusive forensic proof was lacking in some cases.
In the Khoryv case, according to President Nicușor Dan, the incident was described as part of a Russian escalation, while authorities have not issued a final forensic attribution.
Rescue teams continued searching Friday
