Drone-hit tanker YARA J reaches Constanta with nine Indians safe

The drone-hit chemical tanker YARA J reached Constanta with all nine Indian crew members safe. The incident highlights mounting dangers for Indian seafarers across conflict-hit global waterways.Stock photo used for illustrationLondon,Oct 17, 2026 18:52 ISTA chemical tanker carrying nine Indian seafarers reached Romania's Port of Constanta after it was hit by a drone earlier this week, news agency Press Trust of India reported on Saturday. All crew members are safe.The tanker, YARA J, was struck on Wednesday while anchored off Romania. The incident came amid attacks on vessels carrying Indian seafarers in the Black Sea region and the Strait of Hormuz.According to PTI, India's Ambassador to Romania, Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, spoke with Romanian search and rescue agencies, including SAR Romania and MRCC Constanta, as well as the tanker's chief security officer.“It was confirmed that all nine Indian seafarers on board are safe and the vessel has arrived at the Port of Constanta,” the Indian Embassy in Romania said in a post on X. The ambassador assured the crew of the Indian government's full support and assistance, it added. Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Friday that YARA J was hit by a drone at Sulina Anchorage in Romania on Wednesday. He also said crude oil tanker MT ST 3, carrying 15 Indian seafarers, was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.Sonowal said all 24 Indian seafarers aboard the two vessels were safe and that there were no casualties or injuries. The government was monitoring both situations and remained in contact with the ship management companies. The identities of those behind the attacks were not immediately known. The incidents occurred amid a series of attacks on vessels carrying Indian seafarers in the Black Sea region, where the Russia-Ukraine war is continuing, and in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway in West Asia that has been a flashpoint in the continuing US-Iran conflict.Earlier this month, three Indian nationals were rescued from the Turkish-owned cargo vessel MV Royad Mammadov after it was attacked in the Black Sea. The ship, carrying corn from Ukraine's Izmail port to Ravenna in Italy, was struck outside Romania's territorial waters. Two foreign seafarers were killed and several crew members were injured, while all three Indians survived.One of the Indian nationals was injured and treated at Constanta County Hospital. The three Indians left for India last week.India is the world's second-largest supplier of seafarers, with 311,936 maritime professionals working in the global shipping industry, according to the BIMCO-ICS Seafarer Workforce Report 2026. The report estimates that Indians make up 12.16 per cent of the global seafaring workforce, behind only the Philippines.All nine Indians aboard YARA J are safe after the tanker reached Constanta, while the government continues to monitor this incident and the attack on MT ST 3, whose 15 Indian crew members are also safe.With PTI Inputs- Ends