Two commercial ships attacked by drones in Bulgaria's economic zone
Two commercial ships were attacked by sea and air drones in the exclusive economic zone of Bulgaria in the Black Sea. One of them sank, the crew is currently considered missing, and from the second ship 18 sailors were rescued.
This was stated by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, reports bTV and NOVA.
According to Radev, the attack occurred at about three o'clock in the morning approximately 70 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian town of Byala. He stressed that the fact of strikes by sea and air drones was confirmed by the crews of the ships.
The first ship - the ALFA WATAN flying the flag of Togo - received critical damage and sank. Bulgarian ferry DIOSCURIA, which was nearby, went to the site of the explosion, but its crew found only an overturned lifeboat and vests.
People from ALFA WATAN as of the last report were not found. Bulgarian military and rescue services continue the search operation.
The second attacked ship was the ABLE flying the flag of Palau. After the strike a fire broke out on it, because of which the entire crew left the ship.
All 18 sailors were rescued. On board were 11 citizens of Turkey and seven citizens of India. Two crew members sustained serious injuries: one - burns, the other - a head injury. They were taken to Varna.
According to Bulgarian authorities, the ABLE was carrying wheat and was heading south. There is no data yet on the cargo of the sunken ALFA WATAN.
Ships of the Bulgarian Navy and border police, helicopters and a Su-25 aircraft were involved in the search for the missing crew. The operation is coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Varna. In parallel, possible sea pollution after the sinking is being checked.
Radev called the attack "absolutely unacceptable" and a gross violation of international and maritime law. According to him, such incidents increasingly complicate shipping in the Black Sea and lead to higher insurance costs.
After the attack, the Bulgarian Prime Minister convened an urgent interagency meeting with the participation of representatives of the ministries of defense, interior, transport, environment, special services and the presidential institution. The holding of the meeting was also reported by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian authorities have not yet established and publicly named the side that owned the drones. The circumstances of the attack and the origin of the drones are being investigated.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of a sharp increase in the number of attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea.
On Tuesday, October 6, Kurs reported about another Russian strike on a civilian ship. According to the Odesa Regional Military Administration, a Russian drone damaged a commercial ship under the flag of the Marshall Islands loaded with rapeseed oil.
As a result of the strike, the ship's superstructure caught fire. One person died, seven others were injured. The Odesa Regional Military Administration called the attack a deliberate Russian strike on civilian shipping and stated a threat to global food security.
A day earlier, on October 5, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the strike of two Russian drones on another civilian ship carrying corn in the Black Sea.
According to Zelenskyy, the ship belonged to a Turkish owner, and among the crew members were citizens of Azerbaijan and India. The president reported the death of the captain. Later Romanian authorities reported two dead and the rescue of 11 sailors after the ship caught fire and sank off the coast of Romania.
Thus, within two days in the Black Sea there were immediately several attacks on commercial ships, including those carrying agricultural cargo. Moreover, in the case of two ships in the exclusive economic zone of Bulgaria, Sofia has not yet named the culprit of the strikes.
