FROM DRONE STRIKE TO SAFE HARBOUR: YARA J REACHES ROMANIA WITH ALL NINE INDIAN SAILORS SAFE
October 17, 2026
BUCHAREST, OCTOBER 17: A chemical tanker carrying nine Indian seafarers has reached Romania’s Port of Constanta after being struck by a drone earlier this week, with all nine crew members confirmed safe, the Indian Embassy in Bucharest announced on Saturday. The vessel, YARA J, had been hit while anchored at Sulina Anchorage off Romania, raising fresh concerns over the safety of commercial shipping in conflict-affected waters.
Indian Ambassador to Romania Manoj Kumar Mohapatra spoke with Romanian search-and-rescue agencies, including SAR Romania and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Constanta, as well as the tanker’s chief security officer. Following these communications, the embassy confirmed that all nine Indian seafarers had survived the incident and that the vessel had arrived at the Romanian port. The ambassador also assured the crew of the Indian government’s full support and assistance.
The drone strike occurred on Wednesday, October 14, according to Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who provided an update on the incident on Friday. The minister also disclosed a separate attack involving the crude oil tanker MT ST 3, which was carrying 15 Indian seafarers when it was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, October 16.
Despite the separate incidents in two strategically important maritime regions, all 24 Indian seafarers aboard the two affected vessels were reported safe. Sonowal confirmed that no casualties or injuries had been reported in either incident. The Indian government was monitoring both situations and maintaining contact with the ship management companies concerned.
The identities of those responsible for the attacks had not been established at the time of the report. The incidents have nevertheless intensified concerns about the risks confronting commercial vessels and their crews as geopolitical conflicts increasingly threaten maritime routes.
The Black Sea has become a significant theatre of insecurity amid the continuing Russia-Ukraine war, while the Strait of Hormuz remains a strategically sensitive passage in West Asia amid the continuing US-Iran conflict. Both waterways are important to international shipping, and attacks on commercial vessels can expose civilian seafarers to serious danger irrespective of their nationality or the cargo being transported.
The latest incident involving YARA J follows another attack on a commercial vessel in the Black Sea earlier this month. Three Indian nationals were rescued from the Turkish-owned cargo vessel MV Royad Mammadov, which was carrying corn from Ukraine’s Izmail port to Ravenna in Italy. The vessel was attacked while sailing in the Black Sea outside Romania’s territorial waters. Two foreign seafarers were killed and several crew members were injured, although all three Indians aboard survived.
One of the rescued Indian nationals sustained injuries and received treatment at Constanta County Hospital. All three subsequently departed for India last week, following their rescue and the assistance provided by the Romanian authorities.
These incidents underline the exposure of Indian maritime workers to security threats while serving aboard commercial vessels operating through international waters and conflict-affected shipping corridors. India is one of the world's leading sources of maritime labour. According to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026, the country has 311,936 maritime professionals working in the global shipping industry, accounting for an estimated 12.16 per cent of the world's seafaring workforce. Only the Philippines supplies a larger share.
The safe arrival of YARA J at Constanta brings reassurance for the nine Indian sailors and their families. However, the recent attacks on vessels in the Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz demonstrate the continuing dangers faced by merchant crews operating amid regional conflicts, even when their ships are engaged in commercial transport rather than military activity.
