Black Sea Drone Strikes Sink One Commercial Vessel and Damage Another as Bulgaria Launches Search for Missing Crew

A Bulgarian border police vessel carrying crew members from a ship damaged in a drone attack arrived in Varna, Bulgaria, following a rescue operation after one vessel was sunk and another damaged in the Black Sea off Bulgaria, according to reports by Petko Momchilov for Reuters. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that drones struck two commercial vessels, sinking one and wounding several individuals in what he strongly condemned as an “absolutely unacceptable” assault.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Radev explained that the ships were targeted by both sea drones and aerial drones at approximately 3am (00:00 GMT), roughly 70 nautical miles (130km) off the coast of Bulgaria. This incident underscores a rising tide of assaults on Black Sea shipping linked to expanding drone warfare stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war.

“This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law,” Radev stated. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sustained critical structural damage and sank at the scene. While authorities initiated an extensive search for the missing crew, there was no immediate word on their fate, and Radev did not disclose the exact number of missing individuals.

The second vessel, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire as a result of the strike. A Bulgarian ferry and a naval fast boat successfully evacuated all 18 crew members. Two sailors sustained serious injuries and were transported via air to a hospital located in the port city of Varna, according to Radev. At the time of the incident, the Able was reportedly carrying wheat while sailing south, whereas the Alfa Watan was heading north. Radev noted that the cargo of the Alfa Watan remained unknown and added that officials were actively monitoring the area for potential oil spills and other environmental hazards.

Although the exact origin of the drones was not immediately confirmed, the dual strike occurred just one day after another vessel caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, resulting in one death and one missing person. Ukraine attributed that incident to a drone attack launched by Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized that separate incident as “a horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel” operating in neutral waters. Following an emergency meeting on Tuesday, Radev remarked, “What is happening is seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, driving up insurance costs even further and making shipping extremely difficult.”

With Black Sea shipping severely impacted by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war in recent months, Radev cautioned that the conflict is expanding geographically and heightening the danger of a broader global conflict. Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar declared that Budapest “stands in full solidarity with Bulgaria” in the wake of the attacks on the two ships.