Black Sea: Another freighter sank off the Bulgarian coast

A freighter sank off the Bulgarian coast in renewed drone attacks on merchant ships in the Black Sea. According to the Bulgarian authorities, eleven crew members are missing. Five sailors were rescued. Another ship was damaged.

The two ships were hit overnight in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attacks as “absolutely unacceptable.” He called an extraordinary meeting of the Security Council.

Five injured on second ship

The sunken cargo ship "Azov Concord" was sailing under the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis. It was hit around 31 kilometers from the Bulgarian coastal town of Krapez, near the Romanian border. According to the Bulgarian news agency BTA, its crew consisted of Syrian and Egyptian nationals.

The second ship, the Maltese-flagged "Chelsea 3", was hit by three drones about 33 kilometers off the coastal town of Bjala. All 15 crew members were rescued. At least five of them required medical treatment for minor injuries.

The ship belongs to Ukrainian owners and was on its way from Turkey to Moldova. According to Bulgarian radio, it was left adrift on the Black Sea after the crew was evacuated.

Bulgaria wants to summon Russian ambassador

According to its own statements, the Bulgarian government has not yet been able to clearly determine who fired the drones. However, Prime Minister Radev said the attacks benefited Russia's interests.

He announced that he would summon the Russian ambassador to Sofia. Bulgaria also wants to increase surveillance of its airspace and the Black Sea. Radev also announced talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Bulgaria has also asked NATO and the European Union for technical assistance in the investigation.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen strongly condemned the attacks. It is unacceptable that the Black Sea becomes another front for the escalation of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, she wrote on Platform X. Those responsible must be held accountable.

Russia has not yet commented on the incidents.

Already several attacks in the past week

Just last week, two merchant ships were hit by drones off the Bulgarian coast. One of the ships sank and its twelve-member crew has been missing since then. A fire broke out on the second ship and the crew was rescued.

Ukraine blamed Russia for those earlier attacks. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj accused Moscow of wanting to make the western part of the Black Sea unusable for shipping.

Repeated attacks in the Black Sea

Since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, there have been repeated attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea. According to the Turkish Maritime Chamber of Commerce, nearly 230 civilian and merchant ships have been attacked since the war began, most of them this year.

Bulgaria is a NATO and EU member. The country does not directly border Russia or Ukraine, but is located on a strategically important shipping route in the Black Sea.