Three drones suspected of striking LPG tanker off Romania

Romanian authorities are investigating a suspected drone attack on the Liberian-flagged LPG tanker Gas Lisbon after the vessel caught fire in the Black Sea near Romania's coast while en route to Ukraine.

According to Romanian officials and crew accounts, the tanker, carrying nearly 3,800 tonnes of propane from Alexandria, Egypt, to the Ukrainian port of Reni, was struck about 20 nautical miles off Romania's coast, outside the country's territorial waters.

Sources cited by G4Media said the vessel may have been hit by three drones, a claim echoed by one of the crew members, although it remains unclear whether they were aerial or maritime drones.

All 17 crew members were rescued after Romanian maritime rescue vessels reached the scene. Three sailors were injured and taken to hospital, including two who suffered burns covering around 10–15% of their bodies and another who sustained multiple wounds. Authorities said all three were conscious during evacuation.

Romanian President Nicușor Dan described the episode as a "grave incident" and said state institutions had been placed on alert to establish the circumstances and responsibility for the attack. He said the incident was "most likely" linked to Russia's war against Ukraine.

Romania's Ministry of National Defence said it had placed a naval helicopter and two navy vessels on standby to support civilian authorities if required, while a navigation warning was issued advising ships to avoid the area. Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu said Romania could not intervene directly because the vessel was outside its territorial waters but would monitor for any environmental impact if pollution reached Romanian waters.

The incident has also prompted renewed concerns over the security of critical energy infrastructure in the Black Sea, with experts calling for stronger surveillance and protection of Romania's Exclusive Economic Zone as offshore gas projects, including Neptun Deep, move closer to production.