Drones hit two Turkish-owned ships off Bulgaria
Two Turkish-owned commercial vessels were reportedly struck by drones in Bulgaria’s Black Sea Exclusive Economic Zone on Tuesday, sinking one ship and leaving its crew missing.
The strikes marked the first reported drone attacks on vessels inside Bulgaria’s economic zone, according to Bulgarian maritime outlet Maritime.bg.
Bulgaria’s President Iliana Iotova confirmed that two ships had been hit, while Prime Minister Rumen Radev called an emergency meeting with defense, interior and security officials.
One ship sinks, 18 sailors rescued
The Togo-flagged cargo ship Alfa Watan suffered severe structural damage and sank east of the Bulgarian coast.
The fate of its crew remains unknown.
The vessel and the Palau-flagged cargo ship Able sent distress signals at about 4 a.m. local time, roughly 80 nautical miles east of Bulgaria’s Cape St. Atanas.
At around 9 a.m., the Alfa Watan disappeared from Border Police radar.
The Able caught fire following the reported strike, forcing all 18 crew members to abandon ship. They were rescued by the Bulgarian-flagged ferry Dioscuria. Some sailors were injured and received first aid before being taken to hospitals on shore.
The origin of the drones has not been established.
Attack follows deadly sinking off Romania
The incident came a day after the Turkish-owned cargo ship Royad Mammadov caught fire and sank off Romania while carrying Ukrainian wheat to Italy. Two crew members were killed, with Romanian media reporting that the vessel had been hit by a drone.
The latest incidents highlight growing risks for commercial shipping in the Black Sea, where Russia and Ukraine have conducted extensive drone warfare since the start of the war.
The Alfa Watan, a 3,160-deadweight-ton vessel owned by Mersin-based Baraka Shipping, was last recorded sailing toward the Romanian port of Sulina.
The 7,416-deadweight-ton Able is operated by Istanbul-based Ocean Eagle.
Bulgaria raises security response
Radev’s emergency meeting included representatives of the Defense, Interior, Transport, and Environment and Water ministries, as well as the president’s office and security services.
The government said the meeting was convened to assess the incident and coordinate the national response.
Maritime risk firm Ambrey reported last month that war-related objects detected in the Black Sea, particularly in Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish waters, had more than doubled over a six-month period.
The attacks add to mounting concerns over the safety of commercial shipping along the western Black Sea, a key corridor for regional trade and agricultural exports.
Source:turkiyetoday
