Two merchant vessels were attacked by drones in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria on October 6, with one of the ships sinking. Novinite reported the incident.
According to Bulgarian and Romanian authorities, drones attacked two merchant vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone: the Togo-flagged general cargo vessel ALFA WATAN and the Palau-flagged general cargo vessel ABLE.
ALFA WATAN sustained serious hull damage and sank east of the Bulgarian coast. There is currently no official information about the fate of its crew.
ABLE caught fire following the attack, forcing all 18 crew members to abandon the vessel. The sailors were rescued by the Bulgarian-flagged passenger ferry DIOSCURIA, which was sent to the area to assist the crews.
According to Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, Romanian Coast Guard vessels and a helicopter from the General Aviation Inspectorate are also participating in the search-and-rescue operation. Those affected are being transported for emergency medical treatment.
A large-scale rescue operation is continuing east of Cape St. Atanas and the town of Byala, approximately 80 miles offshore.
Citing Maritime.bg, Novinite reported that the attacks were coordinated and targeted commercial vessels in the area.
The circumstances of the incident and the origin of the drones involved in the attack are under investigation.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev is convening a meeting with representatives of state institutions to discuss the attack on the two vessels in the country’s exclusive economic zone. Representatives of the ministries of defence, interior, transport, environment and water, as well as the presidential administration and security services, will participate.
Novinite noted that this was the first recorded drone attack on vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.
