Two Commercial Ships Hit By Drones In Bulgaria’s EEZ, One Sinks And Crew Remains Missing

A cargo ship sank, and its crew is missing after drones hit two commercial ships in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials said.

The second ship, which was carrying grain, was also hit. All 18 crew members were rescued, although two were injured after a fire broke out on board.

The ship that sank was the Alfa Watan, a Turkish-owned general cargo ship flying the Togo flag. It was reportedly on its way to Sulina in Romania.

The ship suffered major structural damage and sank. Officials have not said how many people were on board or what cargo it was carrying.

The attacks happened about 70 miles (112 km) from the Bulgarian coastal town of Byala, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. It is not yet known where the drones came from or who launched them.

The Alfa Watan and the second ship sent distress signals at about 4 a.m. local time, according to Rumen Nikolov, head of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Varna.

The ships were about 80 nautical miles from the Bulgarian coast, east of Cape St. Atanas and the town of Byala. At around 9 a.m., one of the ships disappeared from Border Police radar.

A Bulgarian vessel reached the area and found an overturned boat, rafts and life jackets, Radev said. A search operation was launched for the missing crew.

Nikolov told Bulgarian public broadcaster BNR that the crew of one ship was missing, while the sailors from the other vessel had been rescued.

The Alfa Watan is a 3,160-deadweight-tonne general cargo ship built in 1976. It belongs to Mersin-based Baraka Shipping and was last reported to be heading for the Romanian port of Sulina.

The second ship, the Able, was flying the Palau flag and carrying grain when it was hit. A fire started on the ship after the attack. All 18 crew members had to leave the vessel.

The Bulgarian-flagged ferry Dioscuria was sent to the area and rescued them.

There were 11 Turkish nationals and seven Indian nationals among the crew. Two crew members were injured. They received first aid on the ferry and were later taken to hospitals on shore.

The Able has a deadweight capacity of 7,416 tonnes and belongs to Istanbul-based Ocean Eagle. Its last reported position was about five nautical miles (9 km) from the Alfa Watan.

The office of Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova confirmed that two ships had been hit by drones in Bulgaria’s Black Sea economic zone. It did not provide more details.

Radev called an emergency meeting with officials from the defence, interior, transport, and environment and water ministries, as well as Bulgaria’s security services.

He called the attacks a “flagrant violation of maritime law” and said an attack inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone was “absolutely unacceptable”.

Radev did not say that Russia was behind the attacks.

Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone covers more than 29,000 sq km (11,197 sq miles), about 6% of the Black Sea.

Maritime risk firm Ambrey said last month that war-related objects found in the Black Sea had more than doubled in six months. The objects were mainly found in Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish waters.

References: BBC, Turkey Today