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Drones Sink Ship, Hit Another Near Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast

9:19 AM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said drones struck two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said drones struck two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations. The Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3 was hit by three drones, with all 15 crew members rescued, five of whom received treatment for minor injuries.

The strikes occurred around 80 miles off the Bulgarian coast, east of Cape St. Atanas and the town of Byala. The second ship was struck 17 nautical miles east of Krapets, a Bulgarian village, as reported by Radev at an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council under the Council of Ministers.

Radev condemned the attacks as 'absolutely unacceptable,' announcing plans to summon Russia’s ambassador and seek assistance from NATO and the European Union. He also said he would initiate talks with neighboring Romania and Turkey on joint proposals to guarantee the safety of shipping in the Black Sea.

The conflict has spread across the eastern Black Sea, with at least 45 merchant vessels attacked over the past 12 months in areas previously not listed as high risk, according to the maritime risk management group Ambrey.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the strike, accusing Moscow of deliberately disregarding civilian lives. 'Russia’s latest attack on commercial vessels near Bulgaria’s territorial waters, which injured Ukrainian and Azerbaijani citizens, once again demonstrates Moscow’s deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea,' Sybiha wrote.

The Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 was hit while sailing under a Maltese flag. The ship was later left without its crew near Cape St. Athanasius.

The strikes on the two ships occurred 20 miles and 21 miles (32 and 34 kilometers) from the Bulgarian coast. Radev said he would summon the Russian ambassador to Bulgaria, Eleonora Mitrofanova, for a conversation Tuesday.

While authorities do not possess clear evidence on who was responsible for the drone attacks, 'logic, as I have already stated, indicates that the result is in favor of the Russian Federation,' Radev said.

The intensifying violence comes amid a broader Russian campaign against Ukrainian port infrastructure and commercial shipping. Ukraine established its own Black Sea maritime corridor in August 2023, after Russia withdrew from a U.N.- and Turkey-brokered grain deal.

Radev said that Bulgaria is suffering significant economic and financial damage and added that his country will initiate talks with neighboring Romania and Turkey on joint proposals to guarantee the safety of shipping in the Black Sea.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Drones struck two ships in the Black Sea off Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking one and prompting emergency rescue operations, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.
• “Russia’s latest attack on commercial vessels near Bulgaria’s territorial waters, which injured Ukrainian and Azerbaijani citizens, once again demonstrates Moscow’s deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea,” Sybiha wrote.
• Two ships were struck off the Bulgarian coast on Oct. 13, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, adding that he would summon the Russian ambassador over the latest such incident in the Black Sea.
• The conflict has also spread across the eastern Black Sea, with at least 45 merchant vessels attacked over the past 12 months in areas of the Black Sea previously not listed as high risk, the maritime risk management group Ambrey said last month.
• Radev wrote on social media that a Ukrainian-owned cargo ship was “hit by three aerial drones”, and that shortly afterward another ship was hit and sank.
• Drones struck a Ukrainian-owned, Malta-flagged ship off the coast of Bulgaria (Photo: REUTERS / Roman Petushkov) A Malta-flagged cargo ship managed by an Odesa-based company was hit by drones off the Bulgarian coast in the Black Sea, drawing an immediate reaction from Ukraine’s foreign ministry, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev reported on October 13.
• SOFIA: Bulgarian authorities launched a major search on Tuesday for the missing crew of a ship that sank in the Black Sea after drones hit two vessels in what the prime minister slammed as an “absolutely unacceptable” attack.
• Turkiye’s Chamber of Maritime Commerce (IMEAK) said in August that since the start of the war, 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea, the vast majority this year.
• “This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law,” Radev said.
• The search was launched about 70 nautical miles east of the coastal town of Byala after the Togolese-flagged vessel sank, authorities said.
• Morning Rundown: Trump weighs firing Kimberly Guilfoyle, ‘furious’ judge halts tree removal at D.C. golf course, and Bills beat Rams in instant classic Eleven sailors were missing at sea on Tuesday from a ship sunk by a drone attack off the coast of Bulgaria, possibly the second deadly sinking of a cargo vessel in the area in a week, prompting Bulgaria to summon Russia’s ambassador.
• Radev identified the first vessel as the Malta-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3 and said all 15 crew members — seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis — had been rescued.

What's still developing

• The rescued crew comprised 11 Turkish and seven Indian nationals, according to Radev.
• The dual strike came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast -- killing one and leaving one missing -- in what Ukraine said was a drone attack launched by Russia.
• Bulgarian prime minister Rumen Radev initially announced the sinking, although interior ministry officials subsequently said the vessel’s fate had not been conclusively established.
• Russia has been bombing Ukrainian Black Sea ports, forcing Ukraine to rely increasingly on river ports along the Danube and shipping routes close to the coasts of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.
• Hungarian lawmakers on Oct. 13 voted to remove anti-LGBT provisions in a 2021 “child protection” law adopted under nationalist ex-leader Viktor Orban.
• "While exact circumstances of these incidents are still being established, the developments are very concerning," von der Leyen wrote online.
• “We lack solid, clear evidence to level accusations against any specific party; however... logic suggests the outcome works to the advantage of the Russian Federation,” he wrote.

Sources

• Hürriyet Daily Newslink
• Kyivindependentlink
• NBC Newslink
• UNITED24 Medialink
• Arabnewslink
• Al Jazeeralink
• Abcnewslink
• Hurriyetdailynewslink
• AFPlink
• Kuwaittimeslink
• Eaworldviewlink
• Ariselink
• Splash247link
• Englishlink
• Enlink
• WarpBeat — background on Drones Strike Two Ships Off Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast link
• Times Now World — video link