7 Indians Among 18 Rescued After Drones Hit Two Ships Off Bulgaria, One Sinks

Two commercial ships were hit by sea and aerial drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea early Tuesday, leaving one vessel sunk and another carrying grain damaged and on fire, while the crew of the sunken ship remained missing.

The attacks took place at around 3 am local time, about 70 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian coastal town of Byala, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. He described the attack as an “absolutely unacceptable” violation of international and maritime law.

The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan, a general cargo ship, suffered critical structural damage and sank. Its crew has not been located and a search-and-rescue operation is continuing. The ship was sailing north, but authorities have not yet confirmed what cargo it was carrying.

The Palau-flagged Able, also a general cargo vessel, was carrying grain to Istanbul when it was struck and caught fire. All 18 crew members aboard the ship, 11 Turkish nationals and seven Indians were rescued by a Bulgarian vessel.

Two sailors were seriously injured. An Indian crew member suffered burns, while the Turkish captain sustained a head injury. Both were taken to medical facilities in Varna, while the remaining 16 crew members were also transported to the Bulgarian city for medical checks.

A Bulgarian ferry that reached the scene after witnessing an explosion found an overturned boat, three overturned life rafts and life jackets in the water near the sunken Alfa Watan. However, no crew members had been found, and authorities had not given a confirmed figure for those missing.

Bulgarian authorities also began monitoring the area for possible oil spills or other environmental damage, but the lack of information about the Alfa Watan’s cargo has made it difficult to assess any potential pollution risk.

The origin of the drones has not been officially established. A maritime security source cited by Reuters said an initial assessment suggested the attack was probably Russian, but Bulgarian authorities have not publicly attributed responsibility.

The incident is believed to be the first reported drone attack on commercial shipping inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It comes a day after another Turkish-owned grain ship, the Royal Mammadov, caught fire and sank off Romania. Ukraine blamed Russia for that attack, in which crew members were killed and another remained missing.

Maritime risk company Ambrey has said at least 45 merchant vessels were attacked in the Black Sea over the previous 12 months, including in areas that had not previously been classified as high-risk.