Drones attack container ship off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast
Bulgaria's defence minister said three naval drones attacked a container ship in the country's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. All 18 crew members are safe.
Bulgaria has reported another strike on a merchant vessel in its exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. On Wednesday, 28 October, three naval drones (unmanned surface vessels) attacked a container ship about 21 nautical miles south-east of the Bulgarian city of Shabla, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said, according to the outlet Nova.
Crew safe
Preliminary information indicates the crew managed to leave the ship. The Greek company that manages the vessel confirmed to Maritime.bg that all 18 sailors are safe.
The container ship sailed under the Liberian flag. It had left Israel and was bound for Romania.
Series of incidents
The attack is part of a string of incidents involving merchant ships in the Black Sea over recent weeks. On 23 October, a commercial vessel sank off the Romanian coast after apparently being hit by a drone. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry press service reported that a Ukrainian sailor was killed in the incident.
Earlier, on 13 October, a commercial ship sank off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast following a drone attack, prompting Sofia to summon Russia's ambassador. Bulgaria has previously asked NATO to provide combat aircraft, missile systems and counter-drone systems amid increasingly frequent attacks on ships in the Black Sea.
