Sea drones struck a container ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast on Wednesday, defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov said, the latest in a string of attacks that have raised fears about the growing scope of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It was not clear who carried out the attack on a Greek container ship that was sailing under the Liberian flag in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.
A maritime security source with knowledge of the matter said the crew had been evacuated. Bulgaria’s national radio said a tanker was sent to assist the damaged vessel, which was travelling from Israel’s port of Haifa to Constanța in Romania.
The ship’s Greece-based owner and manager Contships Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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“A container ship was hit ... with three naval drones, approximately 21 miles southeast of Shabla,” Stoyanov told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security meeting.
Drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria have killed about two-dozen international seafarers in recent weeks. At least six merchant vessels have been attacked.
The strikes, which sparked international condemnation and concern about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine, prompted Bulgaria, a European Union and a Nato member, to seek allied assistance to bolster maritime security in the volatile region.
Ukraine has blamed the attacks on Russia, and Bulgaria’s prime minister Rumen Radev has said that the attacks appear to benefit Russia, but Moscow has denied involvement. – Reuters
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