Romania Rescues Crew From Cargo Ship It Suspects Was Attacked in Its EEZ

Romania’s rescue services were able to recover 12 seafarers from a small cargo ship after reports of a fire aboard the vessel. Romanian President Nicusor Dan later spoke to the press, cautioning against speculation until they investigated, but he said it appeared the ship had been attacked, but they did not know by whom or how.

The general cargo ship Progress IV, registered in Dominica and managed from the UAE, reported a fire aboard at around 1800 on August 27. The vessel was approximately 15 nautical miles offshore from Romania, and its AIS signal said it was sailing to Turkey.

Two SAR vessels from Romania’s ARSVOM reached the vessel about 20 minutes after the distress call. A vessel from Romania’s Border Police also responded, and the merchant ship Mohamad B was also directed to respond by the MRCC. 

Romania’s rescue service saved 10 of the crewmembers, and the two others were rescued by the merchant ship. One person was reported to have been injured.

Built in 2005, Progress IV was 7,298 dwt. The ship was reporting that it was coming from Sulina, which ships frequently post as a cover when entering Ukraine to load grain at the Danube ports. Progress IV was 122 meters (400 feet) in length and typical of the type of vessels loading in Ukraine.

Dan said during a press conference that they suspected the Progress IV had sunk and that they would be investigating the circumstances further. He said, “It is not good to indulge in speculation.” During the press conference, he revealed that Romania had been in contact with Ukraine, requesting that it refrain from attacking tankers transporting energy products from Russia’s Novorossiysk port to Romania.

Romanian media reports are indicating that two F-18 fighter jets had been launched during the day to investigate reports of an aerial object about 33 km north of Snake Island. On August 26, it says debris from a drone was discovered on a beach in Romania, and additional wreckage was found on several beaches in Bulgaria.

Both Ukraine and Russia have intensified their attacks on merchant shipping during the summer 2026 offensives.