Greek-managed cargo ship sinks after drone attack off Bulgaria
All 18 crew members rescued as Bulgaria investigates latest attack on commercial shipping.
A Greek-managed cargo ship sank off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast after being struck by three naval drones on Wednesday, raising fresh concerns over the security of commercial shipping amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The Liberian-flagged CONTSHIP JET, carrying 421 containers, sustained severe damage while sailing through Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), outside the country's territorial waters.
The vessel was travelling from Haifa, Israel, to the Romanian port of Constanța when it was attacked.
All 18 crew members, comprising 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were rescued and safely transferred to the Bulgarian port of Varna, according to Contships Management.
Video footage verified by Reuters showed a sea drone approaching the vessel before moving towards its hull. Separate footage captured an explosion, after which the ship began listing before eventually sinking.
The identity of those responsible for the attack remains unknown.
Drone suspected to be Russian design
Maritime risk management firm Ambrey analysed footage reportedly recorded by a crew member aboard the vessel, showing a black, approximately five-to-six-metre unmanned surface vehicle approaching at high speed.
Tomas Alexa, a senior analyst at Ambrey Analytics, said the drone appeared to be remotely controlled and was likely based on a Russian design.
"Ambrey assessed that the USV was likely a variant of, or derived from, the Russian Murena-300S design," he told Reuters.
However, a former senior Ukrainian navy officer, Andriy Ryzhenko, said the drone shown in the footage did not resemble any Ukrainian naval drone model familiar to him.
No independent confirmation has established who launched the attack.
Growing concerns over Black Sea shipping
The sinking comes amid a series of reported drone attacks against commercial vessels off Bulgaria's coast.
According to Bulgarian government statements, at least six ships have been attacked by drones in the area this month, with around two dozen seafarers feared dead.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has said some of the attacks appear to benefit Russia, although responsibility has not been established. Moscow has denied involvement in recent incidents and did not immediately comment on Wednesday's attack.
Bulgaria, a member of both the European Union and NATO, has called for assistance to strengthen security along its Black Sea coastline.
Bulgarian naval commander Kiril Mihaylov told national television that authorities had received a warning about a possible drone attack from a French patrol aircraft but were unable to prevent the incident.
No visible pollution detected in initial inspections
Bulgarian authorities said initial inspections carried out on Thursday found no visible signs of pollution following the sinking.
The ship's cargo included lithium-ion batteries, corrosive liquids, acids and industrial components, raising concerns about potential environmental risks.
The incident adds to growing maritime security concerns in the western Black Sea, where attacks on commercial shipping have heightened fears that the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could spread further into international waters and threaten regional trade routes.
Source:DailySabah
