Crew members remain missing after two merchant vessels were targeted by sea and air drones in the Black Sea off Bulgaria early Tuesday, Bulgarian authorities said.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said it was too early to determine where the drones had originated. A Bulgarian ferry that witnessed the explosion reached the area and found overturned life rafts and life jackets near one of the vessels, which had sunk.
No crew members from the sunken ship had been located, Radev said, without providing details on the number of people missing.
Eighteen crew members — 11 Turkish and seven Indian nationals — were rescued from the second vessel. Radev described the attack, which occurred within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, as a serious violation of maritime law and navigation rules.
Authorities launched a search operation about 70 nautical miles east of the coastal town of Byala. Both vessels are Turkish-owned, according to the Equasis merchant shipping database.
Radev said the vessel Able was carrying wheat and travelling south, while the Alfa Watan was heading north. The Alfa Watan, flying the Togo flag, sank in the attack, while the Palau-registered Able caught fire.
Two of the rescued crew members were taken to hospital. One suffered burns, while another sustained a head injury.
Radev warned that the attacks could further disrupt shipping in the Black Sea, increase insurance costs and make maritime navigation more difficult. He also convened an emergency meeting of ministers to discuss the incident.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea, describing them as unacceptable. She said the exact circumstances were still being established but called the developments concerning.
Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Toiu also strongly condemned the incident.
The developments came a day after Romania reported that a grain vessel had caught fire and sank in the Black Sea. Ukraine accused Russia of attacking the Turkish-owned vessel Royad Mammadov.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said the ship’s Azerbaijani captain was killed and another Azerbaijani crew member remained missing, according to Russian state media.
Drone-related incidents have increased across parts of Eastern Europe since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the conflict also affecting areas of the eastern Black Sea.
Maritime risk assessment firm Ambrey said last month that at least 45 merchant vessels had been attacked in the previous 12 months in parts of the Black Sea that had not previously been classified as high-risk areas.
