Russians attack tanker bound for Izmail

On the morning of October 15, 2026, the San Marino-flagged oil tanker *Wide Trader* caught fire 14 nautical miles off the Romanian city of Sulina.

According to preliminary information, the vessel was heading to the port of Izmail carrying a cargo of petroleum products.

An alarm signal was received from the tanker at 7:00 a.m.; the crew reported a fire in the ship’s superstructure. At the time of the attack by a Russian UAV, there were 12 crew members on board. Eight of them are currently considered missing. Four others were evacuated by a Black Hawk helicopter—three of them suffering from injuries and burns of varying severity—and are currently being treated at a hospital in the city of Constanța.

The tanker’s last port of call before the incident was Istanbul. The vessel is currently at anchor in the vicinity of Sulina.