Key points:
- According to Romania’s Ministry of National Defence, several commercial vessels were hit by drones in the Black Sea, including in Romanian territorial waters.
- On 17 October, two Romanian F-16s shot down two jet-powered Geran-type attack drones over Romanian waters near Sulina.
- On 22 October, CSAT made maritime surveillance, mine countermeasures and counter-drone capabilities strategic priorities.
- Romania’s goals include protecting human lives, keeping national ports freely accessible and securing energy facilities in its Exclusive Economic Zone.
- Bucharest also wants the EU’s Black Sea Security Hub up and running as quickly as possible.
Two drones shot down off Sulina
According to the Romanian Ministry of National Defence, on the evening of 17 October its radars detected a group of aerial targets about 120 km east of Snake Island, heading south-west. Two Romanian Air Force F-16s took off from the 86th Air Base in Borcea at 17:43.
At 18:01, the first drone was shot down south-east of Sulina, after about two minutes in Romanian airspace. At 18:05, the second was destroyed east of Sulina, after about five minutes. Both were jet-powered attack drones of the Geran family, and both were downed over Romanian territorial waters.
The ministry also confirmed that during the same period several commercial ships were hit by drones in the Black Sea, including in Romanian territorial waters.
These were not isolated events. In the week before, Romanian radars had detected aerial targets near the border on eight occasions, and on four of them drones briefly entered Romanian airspace. On the night of 14–15 October, a drone was tracked for about a minute south-east of Sulina, and residents of Tulcea County received RO-Alert warnings.
What Romania’s defence council decided
The CSAT met at Cotroceni Palace on 22 October, chaired by President Nicușor Dan. According to the Presidential Administration, the discussions focused on the escalation of maritime incidents, in particular violations of Romanian airspace and drone strikes on commercial ships in or near Romania’s territorial waters. The council called these incidents direct consequences of Russia’s aggression beyond Ukraine’s borders, and said threats to freedom of navigation and critical infrastructure had grown significantly.
To strengthen Romania’s ability to respond, the council set three strategic priorities:
- maritime surveillance – faster development of the capability to monitor the sea,
- mine countermeasures – capabilities to detect and neutralise naval mines,
- counter-drone defence – effective intervention against drones entering Romanian air and maritime space without authorisation.
Romania will also hold regular inter-agency exercises and keep its intervention plans updated. According to the CSAT, this is essential for complex incidents that can affect shipping, economic facilities and the marine environment at the same time.
NATO, the EU and Black Sea neighbours
The council also discussed closer coordination within NATO, including new measures to respond to Black Sea threats. These are based on the conclusions of the North Atlantic Council meeting of 20 October, which was convened at Romania’s request.
Bucharest wants to work more closely with other Black Sea allies, especially to make the Black Sea Security Hub operational under the EU’s strategic approach for the region. Romania calls its rapid implementation a major priority. The CSAT also wants better use of the Black Sea mine countermeasures task group (MCM Black Sea), whose role was extended in 2026 to cover the protection of critical infrastructure.
Romania’s new defence minister, Ștefan-Radu Oprea, who took office on 21 October, named Black Sea security, an operational security hub and counter-drone capabilities as his priorities.
Why it matters for freight
Most of the recent incidents took place around Sulina, where the Danube meets the sea. The Sulina channel is used by seagoing vessels sailing to and from Danube ports, including Ukraine’s ports at Izmail and Reni. Further south, Constanța is Romania’s main seaport and a key gateway for grain, fuel and containers heading to and from Central Europe.
For shippers, forwarders and carriers, more security incidents at sea can mean delays, route changes and higher costs for cargo moving through Romanian ports. In its communiqué, the CSAT said Romania’s priorities are to protect human lives, keep national ports freely accessible and secure energy facilities in the Exclusive Economic Zone.
The pressure on Black Sea shipping adds to other risks in the energy chain. As trans.info has reported, oil tanker rates have already pushed up diesel prices, and the IEA has warned that the diesel supply squeeze may persist well into 2027. For companies building contingency plans, our guide to managing risk in an age of constant disruption may also be useful.
