A cargo ship sailing under the flag of Togo hit an object, suspected to be a sea mine, triggering an explosion on the Nato side of the Danube River. The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning near the Romanian port of Sulina. Twelve crew members were on board at the time and were quickly evacuated by coast guards. Footage from the scene shows the ongoing evacuation process. It was reported that the explosion happened in the engine room after the vessel allegedly hit a sea mine. However, a Romanian Naval Authority official stated that there is no indication that the explosion was caused by a sea mine and that the ship is relatively stable and not sinking.

The cargo ship had arrived at the port of Sulina on September 12 and was waiting to enter the Bîstroe channel. Tensions have been running high on the Romanian border of the river due to several discoveries of drone fragments near populated villages. Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, has been attacking Ukraine's agricultural and port infrastructure after refusing to extend the safe passage grain corridor brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. Drones have been striking the inland Danube ports of Reni and Izmail, just a few hundred meters from Nato territory.

The Danube ports accounted for around a quarter of Ukraine's grain exports before Russia withdrew from the deal. In response to the incident, the Romanian Agency for Saving Life at Sea (ARSVOM) coordinated the evacuation of the crew. The Romanian naval forces deployed a sea mine hunter vessel with divers to search for mines around Sulina. Since the invasion of Ukraine, mines have been laid in the Black Sea by the combatants, and diving teams from Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey have been defusing those that have drifted into their waters.

Moscow has also intensified attacks on Ukraine's Danube river ports across from Romania since abandoning a deal to lift a de facto Russian blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports. The Black Sea is crucial for shipments of grain, oil, and oil products and is shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia. With a 650-km (400 mile) border with Ukraine, Romania, as a member of the European Union and NATO, is closely involved in the ongoing conflict. Romania is also home to a US ballistic missile defense system and has a permanent alliance battle group stationed on its territory since last year.