Two merchant ships hit in drone attack in Black Sea

Two merchant ships were seriously hit in a drone attack in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria.

The first ship that sailed under the Togo flag has already sunk, reports the Bulgarian specialist portal Maritime.bg. A fire broke out on a second freighter flying the Palau flag. Its 18 crew members were brought to safety by a Bulgarian ferry “Dioscuria”.

Bulgarian head of state Rumen Radev also said that two merchant ships had been hit by drones in the NATO member's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The government then called an emergency meeting. The head of the sea rescue center in Varna, Rumen Nikolov, said on Tuesday on public radio station BNR that the crew of the sunken ship were missing.

It is still unclear who is behind the attack. Bulgarian authorities said the origin of the drones used was still being investigated.

The largest Bulgarian news portal “Novnite” reports that the sunken ship was the freighter “Alfa Watan” under the Togolese flag and the “Able” under the Palau flag.

According to broadcaster BNR, a rescue operation was underway around 150 kilometers east of the coastal town of Byala. The Bulgarian specialist portal Maritime.bg also reports that the ship flying the Togolese flag suffered serious damage from an explosion before it subsequently sank. There is currently no trace of the crew. According to authorities, search teams only found a capsized boat, several overturned life rafts and life jackets.

The second ship flying the Palau flag, on which a fire broke out, was loaded with wheat. The entire crew of eleven Turkish and seven Indian citizens were able to leave the ship. Two sailors were injured, one with burns and another with a head injury. Both were taken to Varna for medical treatment.

The incident came a day after a drone attack on a Turkish cargo ship off the coast of Romania, killing two crew members. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed two Russian drones. Citizens of Azerbaijan and India were on board.

As a result of the war in Ukraine, the Black Sea has repeatedly been the scene of drone attacks and other military incidents. According to the Turkish Maritime Chamber of Commerce, 226 civilian and merchant ships have been attacked in the Black Sea since the war began, the majority of them this year. The attacks have significantly tightened the security situation on one of the region's most important trade routes and caused insurance premiums for shipping companies to rise significantly.