Romanian authorities said the fire on an LPG tanker on the Danube River that marks the border with Ukraine has been extinguished after a Russian strike on the vessel sparked the blaze and forced the evacuation of several towns in the area.
Colonel Daniel Petrov from the Emergency Situations Inspectorate in the Tulcea region said on November 18 that some residents have been allowed to return to their homes after being evacuated on the weekend, though some are still being kept away as the risk of an explosion on the fuel-laden ship remains.
“Only the village of Plauru, which is located about 200 meters from the site of the event, remains under the effect of the evacuation plan,” Petrov said.
The liquid petroleum gas tanker, called the Ordina, caught fire following a reported Russian drone strike at a port on the Ukrainian side of the Danube River early on November 17.
The attack sparked evacuations on the Romanian side of the river amid fears of explosions or further attacks in the area.
Romania’s Defense Ministry said its radar monitoring and surveillance systems detected and tracked targets in Ukrainian airspace near Tulcea County where Plauru lies.
While the ministry said there were no unauthorized aircraft intrusions into Romanian airspace, Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports in the Danube region have triggered several alerts in the NATO member.
Russian drone incursions over Romania and Poland, along with Russian military jets entering Estonian airspace, has led NATO to launch its Eastern Sentry initiative to bolster air defenses.
The European Union’s executive, meanwhile, approved last month a five-year defense road map that features plans for a “drone wall” to be fully functional by the end of 2027.
The European Commission plan says Russia and Belarus represent “the greatest threat,” citing repeated violations of EU member states by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The Ordina was sailing under a Turkish flag and had a crew of 16. All were evacuated safely.
It had been anchored in the Ukrainian port of Ismail since November 12, according to marinetraffic.com.
