Two commercial vessels were attacked by drones in the Black Sea near Bulgaria’s territorial waters, with one of them sinking. Among the ships hit was the Chelsea 3, a vessel registered in Odesa and owned by a Ukrainian company; all 15 crew members were safely evacuated.
This was reported by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev. The incident was also reported by Bloomberg.
A distress call from the Chelsea 3 was received at around 01:30. The vessel was located approximately 18 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian town of Byala.
According to the crew, three aerial drones struck the ship’s deck and side. The Chelsea 3 sails under the Maltese flag, is registered in Odesa and is owned by a Ukrainian company.
There were 15 people on board — seven Ukrainian citizens and eight Azerbaijani nationals. All crew members were taken to the port of Varna, where five received medical assistance.
Second vessel sank
During an emergency meeting of Bulgaria’s Security Council, authorities received information about another vessel that was struck around 17 nautical miles east of the village of Krapets.
The ship sank after the attack. According to preliminary information, one crew member was rescued.
Radev described the latest attacks on commercial vessels near Bulgarian territorial waters as “absolutely unacceptable.”
Bulgaria summons Russian ambassador
The Bulgarian prime minister stressed that Sofia currently has no clear and conclusive evidence that would allow it to determine the country of origin of the drones or assign responsibility for the attacks to either side.
At the same time, Radev said that, in his view, “logic suggests” that the outcome of the attacks benefits the Russian Federation. For this reason, he decided to summon the Russian ambassador for explanations.
Bulgaria has also informed its permanent representatives to NATO and the EU and plans to seek international assistance in investigating the origin of the drones.
In addition, Sofia wants to strengthen surveillance of its air and maritime space and improve its ability to respond to similar attacks.
