Romania launched a rescue operation on Friday after a ship sent a distress signal, the latest in a spate of incidents in the Black Sea, where suspected Russian drones have hit several vessels off Romania and Bulgaria.

No cause was given straight away for the emergency but Romanian fighter jets shot down two Russian drones over the Black Sea last weekend and NATO said this week it was deploying additional planes and radar systems because of the attacks on shipping. 

The Khoryv cargo ship sent a distress signal around 10:00 am (0700 GMT), when it was 13 nautical miles across from the Romanian port of Constanta. Romanian authorities say its crew was comprised of 10 Ukrainian and three Azerbaijani nationals.

“Rescue vessels have managed to recover nine people alive, and one body from the water,” the Romanian Naval Authority said in a press release, adding that three crew were missing.

The Khoryv cargo ship is Comoros-registered, according to the specialised site VesselFinder.com.

The naval authority said it was “in distress outside Romanian territorial waters”. 

“Due to adverse weather conditions and poor visibility, an aerial rescue operation by helicopter is not possible,” said the authority.

Drones have struck merchant vessels in the Black Sea off Romania and Bulgaria in the last three weeks in the latest spillover from Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Seven crew went missing on October 15 off Romania’s coast as the Wine Trader, a chemical tanker, caught fire after a drone attack, according to President Nicusor Dan, who called for the “unacceptable” attacks to stop.

Romania has asked NATO for more equipment.

On Thursday, following a meeting Romania’s Supreme Council for National Defence, the presidency said that “threats to freedom of navigation and critical infrastructure have increased significantly”.

The NATO country bordering Ukraine is looking into “accelerated development of maritime surveillance capabilities, mine countermeasures and effective countermeasures against drones that intrude unauthorised into national airspace and territorial waters”. 

NATO said Tuesday it was deploying additional planes, drones and radar systems to the Black Sea because of the attacks on ships.

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