Drones sink cargo ship off Bulgaria a day after Romania strike
Air and sea drones hit two cargo ships early Tuesday inside Bulgaria's Black Sea economic zone, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank and there is no word on its crew, while all 18 sailors on the burning Able were rescued. It came one day after a grain ship sank off Romania with two crew members dead.
Updated Tuesday morning: Drones struck two cargo ships early Tuesday inside Bulgaria's part of the Black Sea, and one of them sank, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. He said air and sea drones hit the ships around 3 a.m. local time, more than 100 kilometers off the coast near the town of Byala. The Associated Press called it the first attack on shipping in the NATO member's economic zone.
The Alfa Watan, a Turkish-owned cargo ship flying the flag of Togo, was badly damaged and went down at the scene. There was no word on its crew, and the search went on through the morning. The second ship, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire while carrying wheat. A Bulgarian ferry took off all 18 crew members, and two who were badly hurt were flown to a hospital in the port city of Varna. The BBC said 11 of the Able's sailors were Turkish and seven were Indian.
No one has said who sent the drones. Radev called the strike "a blatant violation of international law and maritime law." He said it is "seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea" and pushing insurance costs even higher, and officials are watching for oil spills. NATO declined to comment and sent questions to Bulgaria, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said attacks on civilian ships are unacceptable.
The strike came one day after the Royad Mammadov, a Turkish-owned grain ship, sank about 30 nautical miles off Romania, where officials confirmed two dead and 11 rescued. Azerbaijan said the ship's captain, Rustam Hasanov, was killed and a young Azerbaijani sailor is still missing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blamed two Russian drones. Romania has confirmed only a fire and has not named a cause.
The Black Sea has grown far more dangerous since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Turkey's Chamber of Maritime Commerce says 226 civilian and commercial ships have been attacked there since the war began. Bulgaria's economic zone covers just over 29,000 square kilometers, about 6% of the sea, the BBC reported. Both Bulgaria and Romania are NATO members, and both sit on the sea's western shore.
What we know: Two ships were hit off Bulgaria, one sank, and its crew has not been found.
What we don't: Who launched the drones in either attack.
Where outlets agree AP, the BBC and Bulgaria's BTA news agency all report Radev saying drones hit two ships in Bulgaria's economic zone and one of them sank.
Where they differ Ukraine blames Russian drones for Monday's deadly sinking off Romania, but Bulgaria, Romania and NATO have not said who launched either attack.