Two commercial vessels were struck by drones early on Tuesday inside Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea, in what Sofia called the first attack on shipping in the exclusive waters of a NATO country. One ship sank and its crew remains missing; the other's crew was rescued.
What happened
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the ships were hit by several drones about 128 kilometres off Bulgaria's coast. He spoke after convening an emergency meeting of state institutions, with a statement to the media at 11:15 a.m.
Radio Bulgaria reported that both vessels sent distress signals at 4 a.m., and that one disappeared from the Border Police's radar at around 9 a.m. A large-scale search-and-rescue operation is underway east of Cape St. Athanasius and the town of Byala. The origin of the drones remains unknown.
The two ships
The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank on the spot, Radev said, adding that officials had no immediate information about what happened to its crew. Radio Bulgaria's rescue coordination sources confirmed the crew of one vessel remains missing while the other's sailors were brought to safety.
The second ship, the Palau-flagged Able, burst into flames after the attack. A Bulgarian ferry rescued all 18 crew members; two of them were seriously hurt and were airlifted to a hospital in the port city of Varna, the prime minister said. Both vessels were of about 25,000 gross tons.
A wider pattern
The strikes came a day after a Turkish-owned grain cargo ship was also hit in the Black Sea, caught fire and sank, killing an Indian and an Azerbaijani citizen, according to the Times of India. No group has claimed responsibility for either attack and no perpetrator has been officially identified.
Sources:
- Radio Bulgaria: Drones hit two ships 80 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast
- Times of India: Drones strike two vessels in Bulgaria's economic zone; one ship sinks
What happened
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the ships were hit by several drones about 128 kilometres off Bulgaria's coast. He spoke after convening an emergency meeting of state institutions, with a statement to the media at 11:15 a.m.
Radio Bulgaria reported that both vessels sent distress signals at 4 a.m., and that one disappeared from the Border Police's radar at around 9 a.m. A large-scale search-and-rescue operation is underway east of Cape St. Athanasius and the town of Byala. The origin of the drones remains unknown.
The two ships
The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank on the spot, Radev said, adding that officials had no immediate information about what happened to its crew. Radio Bulgaria's rescue coordination sources confirmed the crew of one vessel remains missing while the other's sailors were brought to safety.
The second ship, the Palau-flagged Able, burst into flames after the attack. A Bulgarian ferry rescued all 18 crew members; two of them were seriously hurt and were airlifted to a hospital in the port city of Varna, the prime minister said. Both vessels were of about 25,000 gross tons.
A wider pattern
The strikes came a day after a Turkish-owned grain cargo ship was also hit in the Black Sea, caught fire and sank, killing an Indian and an Azerbaijani citizen, according to the Times of India. No group has claimed responsibility for either attack and no perpetrator has been officially identified.
Sources:
- Radio Bulgaria: Drones hit two ships 80 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast
- Times of India: Drones strike two vessels in Bulgaria's economic zone; one ship sinks
