Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast
Two merchant ships were struck by drones off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast early on Tuesday, and one sank. The Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, owned by Ukrainian interests, was hit by three drones at about 1:30am, roughly 18 nautical miles (33km) offshore. All 15 crew members — seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis — were rescued. Five received medical assistance, but none was seriously injured. One crew member was also rescued from the vessel that sank; no further details about that ship were provided.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev called the attack “absolutely unacceptable” and said he would speak with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Although Bulgaria had no clear evidence identifying the attacker, Radev said the outcome benefited Russia and announced that the Russian ambassador would be summoned.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the strikes, saying they endangered merchant crews and threatened Black Sea security. NATO member Bulgaria occupies a strategically important stretch of coastline near vital Russian and Ukrainian ports. The incident follows another drone attack off Bulgaria the previous week, when two ships were hit and one sank; all 10 crew members from that vessel remained unaccounted for.
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