A commercial ship sank and another was damaged in a drone attack in the Black Sea off Bulgaria early Tuesday, with Hungary’s Prime Minister Péter Magyar expressing solidarity with Bulgaria following the incident.
The attack took place in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, around 80 nautical miles (approximately 130 kilometres) east of Cape St Athanasius and the town of Byala, according to Dnevnik.bg. The identities of the attackers have not yet been officially established, although there are reports that the drones may have been Russian.
One ship sank, crew missing
The attack reportedly took place at around 3 AM and involved two cargo vessels: the Togo-flagged ALFA WATAN and the Palau-flagged ABLE.
According to Maritime.bg, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the ALFA WATAN sank following the attack. A nearby Bulgarian vessel headed towards the site after the explosion, but so far rescuers have found only an overturned boat, three overturned life rafts and life jackets. The crew of the sunken vessel remains missing and the search operation is continuing. Authorities have not yet released information about the ship’s cargo.
The second vessel, which was carrying wheat, was also hit and caught fire. Its 18-person crew consisted of 11 Turkish and seven Indian nationals. All of them managed to abandon the vessel and were rescued. Two sailors were injured and taken by speedboat to the port of Varna. One suffered burns, while the other sustained a head injury.
Never miss a headline: join our Messenger group!
Bulgaria launches emergency response
Bulgarian authorities immediately launched a response following the overnight attack. Radev convened a meeting involving representatives of the defence, interior, transport and environment ministries, the president’s office and the country’s security services.
The prime minister described the attack as completely unacceptable and a serious violation of international law and maritime regulations. The exact origin of the drones is under investigation.
Authorities are also monitoring another vessel, the EMIL, which has been drifting without a crew since August due to a malfunctioning steering system. A military aircraft carried out reconnaissance over the vessel two days before the latest incident.
Bulgarian authorities are tracking its movement to ensure it does not enter the country’s territorial waters or pose a threat to the coastline. They are also monitoring the possibility of pollution or an oil spill.
If you missed it: Hungary to stop blocking next stage of Ukraine’s EU accession talks, Financial Times reports
Another Black Sea ship was attacked a day earlier
The incident came just one day after another suspected drone attack on a grain carrier in the Black Sea, this time in Romania’s exclusive economic zone in international waters, Index reported. Romanian authorities sent several rescue vessels and helicopters to the scene. One person was killed and another is still missing following that incident.
Péter Magyar expresses Hungary’s solidarity
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar also reacted to the attack on Tuesday. In a Facebook post, Magyar said Hungary stands in full solidarity with Bulgaria following the incident.
“At dawn, two commercial ships were hit by a drone attack in Bulgaria’s territorial waters in the Black Sea. One ship sank, and the attack, whose origin is currently unknown, has injured people. Hungary assures Bulgaria of its full solidarity.”
The Hungarian prime minister did not speculate about who was responsible for the attack.
