Near the coast of Bulgaria, drones attacked two merchant ships, one sank

In the Black Sea near the coast of Bulgaria on the night of October 13, drones attacked two merchant ships. One of them sank, the other was damaged. Among the rescued sailors are citizens of Ukraine.

This was stated by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev during an emergency meeting of the government Security Council, Bulgarian publications Maritime.bg and Standart report.

The first to be hit was the cargo ship Chelsea 3 under the flag of Malta, which belongs to a Ukrainian company and is registered in Odessa. According to Radev, a distress signal was received at about 01:30 from the ship, which was 18 nautical miles (about 33 km) east of the Bulgarian town of Byala.

According to the crew, three aerial drones hit the deck and hull of the ship. Chelsea 3 was sailing from the Turkish port of Giresun to the Moldovan port of Giurgiulesti.

Bulgarian rescue services evacuated all 15 crew members – seven Ukrainians and eight citizens of Azerbaijan. The sailors were taken to the port of Varna. Five of them required medical assistance.

During the emergency meeting of the Security Council, a report was received about an attack on another merchant ship 17 nautical miles (about 31 km) east of the village of Krapets. According to preliminary information, the ship sank. One rescued crew member is known. The number of other people on board and their fate are currently being clarified.

After the new attacks, the Bulgarian government informed its representatives in NATO and the European Union. Radev also announced talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on strengthening shipping security and investigating the attacks.

The Prime Minister stressed that the Bulgarian authorities do not yet have enough evidence to identify those responsible for the strikes, but believes that their consequences are beneficial to Russia.

"We do not have convincing and clear evidence to blame either side. But logic dictates that the result is beneficial to the Russian Federation", - Radev said.

He announced his intention to summon Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova for explanations. Sofia will also continue to seek international technical assistance to determine the origin of the drones and strengthen control over air and sea space.

This is the second series of attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria within a week. On October 6, in the country's exclusive economic zone, drones hit the bulk carriers Alfa Watan under the flag of Togo and Able under the flag of Palau. The first ship sank, the second suffered significant damage and fire.

Then the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is responsible for the attack. According to him, the Ukrainian Navy contacted Bulgarian colleagues and established that the ships were attacked by Russian sea and air drones.

Zelenskyy also stressed that the Ukrainian military did not conduct operations in this area of the Black Sea, and called Russia's goal to turn the western part of the sea into a dangerous zone for civilian shipping.

At the same time, the Bulgarian authorities did not confirm Kyiv's conclusion about the Russian origin of the drones, stating the need to obtain physical evidence. The investigation of the previous attacks continues.

The series of strikes creates additional risks for maritime transport in the western part of the Black Sea. Bulgarian representatives of the shipping industry have already warned that the attacks lead to higher ship insurance costs, increased transport costs, and disruption of usual logistics routes.

Based on materials from: Maritime.bg, Standart, Office of the President of Ukraine