Two commercial vessels were attacked by drones in the Black Sea near the Bulgarian coast. One vessel sank after sustaining severe damage, while a fire broke out on the second and its crew of 18 was evacuated.
This was reported by Bulgarian broadcaster NOVA.
The attack occurred east of Cape St. Atanas and the town of Byala, within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. One of the vessels was sailing under the flag of Togo, the other under the flag of Palau.
A fire broke out on the vessel that remained afloat after the strike. All 18 crew members were evacuated with the help of a Bulgarian ferry.
One sailor suffered severe burns, while another sustained a head injury. The crew included citizens of India and Turkey.
Meanwhile, the fate of the crew of the sunken vessel remains unknown. According to unconfirmed reports, life jackets were found near the scene, but no people have been located so far. The search-and-rescue operation is ongoing.
According to Varna Regional Governor Mario Smyrkov, one of the attacked vessels was carrying grain. Authorities are still trying to determine what cargo was on board the second ship.
The Bulgarian Maritime Administration received a report of problems aboard the two cargo vessels at around 03:00. A rescue vessel from the Atiya naval base, a Border Police patrol boat and a Su-25 aircraft were deployed in the operation.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting with representatives of state institutions. He described the attack as “absolutely unacceptable” and a “gross violation of international law”.
According to him, such attacks are creating increasingly serious risks for shipping in the Black Sea and raising the cost of maritime insurance.
