Bulgaria: Ships attacked again in the Black Sea – crew speaks of a drone attack

Just over a week after a suspected drone attack in the Black Sea, two merchant ships were again attacked off the Bulgarian coast. A ship has sunk, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rumen Radev wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. Another ship was apparently hit by three drones. The crew was rescued. Ukraine and the EU condemned the attacks.

At 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday night, the first signal was received "about a ship in distress," explained Radev. The 15-person crew of the “Chelsea 3” – seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis – were rescued. According to the crew, the Maltese-flagged, Ukrainian-owned ship was hit "by three drones from the air."

Although there was a lack of “clear evidence,” Radev wrote on Facebook that “logic suggests” that the incidents benefited Russia. The Bulgarian head of government announced that he would summon the Russian ambassador. NATO was also informed.

“Another front in the escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha blamed Russia for the attacks. "The Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security," he wrote on the online service X, referring to the importance of the sea for grain exports. "Russia is attacking it to use hunger as a weapon and to hold the world hostage." Sybiha also called for increasing pressure on Russia.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also “strongly condemned” the recent drone attacks on merchant ships off the Bulgarian coast. It is "unacceptable" that the Black Sea has become "another front in the escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine," she wrote on X. "Those responsible must be held accountable."

Just last week, two merchant ships were hit in a drone attack off the Bulgarian coast. One of the ships sank and the entire crew is missing. According to the Bulgarian authorities, a fire broke out on the second ship, but the 18-member crew was able to be brought to safety.

Radev condemned this drone attack as a “flagrant violation of maritime law and shipping rules in general.” According to their own statements, the Bulgarian authorities were initially unable to find out who had fired the drones.

As a result of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, the Black Sea is repeatedly the scene of drone incidents. According to the Turkish Maritime Chamber of Commerce (IMEAK), nearly 230 civilian and merchant ships have been attacked in the Black Sea since the war began more than four and a half years ago, the majority of them this year.