Drones Strike Two Ships Off Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast, Sinking One

Drones struck two commercial ships in the Black Sea near Bulgaria’s coast in the early hours of Tuesday, October 13, sinking one vessel and damaging another. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the attacks occurred about 17 to 18 nautical miles offshore and constituted the second such incident in a week.

The Maltese-flagged Chelsea 3, a Ukrainian-owned general cargo ship, was hit by three aerial drones around 1:30 a.m. local time roughly 18 nautical miles east of Byala. Its crew of 15, seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, was rescued by Bulgarian border police. Five crew members received medical attention for minor injuries. None were seriously hurt.

A second ship was struck approximately 17 miles east of Krapets and sank. One crew member from that vessel was rescued. Radev provided no further details on the size of its crew or its cargo. The strikes took place in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, not inside its territorial waters.

Radev called the attacks absolutely unacceptable and said they occurred in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters. He stated there was no clear evidence identifying the perpetrators, but that logic indicated the outcome benefited the Russian Federation. He said he would summon the Russian ambassador and speak with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Bulgaria’s Security Council met in emergency session.

The incident follows a similar drone attack on October 6, also in Bulgarian waters, that sank the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan and damaged the Palau-flagged Able, which was carrying grain. Crew members from the Able were rescued, including Turkish and Indian nationals. The search for the Alfa Watan’s crew, believed to number around 12 and mostly Syrian, was later called off.

Russia and Ukraine have both conducted strikes on shipping and port infrastructure in the Black Sea since the full-scale invasion began. Ukraine has targeted Russian naval assets and energy facilities. Russia has struck Ukrainian ports and vessels carrying grain and other cargo. The expansion of attacks into waters near NATO member Bulgaria raises the risk of further incidents involving neutral or third-country shipping.

Radev said Bulgaria would seek assistance from NATO and the European Union. The attacks have disrupted commercial traffic and increased insurance costs for vessels operating in the western Black Sea. No group has claimed responsibility for the October 13 strikes.

The pattern of repeated drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria indicates that the conflict’s effects on Black Sea shipping continue to spread beyond the immediate theater of operations around Ukraine and Russia. How NATO responds, and whether further incidents occur, will determine whether the route remains viable for commercial traffic in the near term.