Drone attack sinks ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, PM says

Two ships were hit in the attack, including the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, which sustained damage.

Two ships have been hit in drone attacks off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, with one of them sinking, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said.

The Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, which was sailing under a Maltese flag, was hit by three drones and damaged about 18 nautical miles (33km) off Bulgaria at about 1.30am on Tuesday (22:30 GMT on Monday), Radev said.

Radev said its 15-man crew, seven of them Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, was rescued. Five crew members received medical assistance, and no one was seriously injured.

He added that one crew member from the ship that sank was also rescued.

Radev called the incident “absolutely unacceptable”.

“Another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters,” he said in a televised address, adding, “I am due to speak with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.”

Radev said there was no clear evidence of who carried out the attack, but “the outcome benefits” Russia and that the Russian ambassador would be summoned over the incident.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attack on the ships.

“The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine,” she said.

“This is unacceptable. I strongly condemn the drone attacks on merchant ships near Bulgaria’s coast. Putting the lives of the crew in grave danger and threatening security in the Black Sea,” she wrote on X.

“We stand with Bulgaria and thank its rescuers for their swift response. Those responsible should be held accountable,” von der Leyen added.

As a member of the NATO military alliance, Bulgaria holds a strategic position on the Black Sea, where Russia and Ukraine have vital ports.

The incident comes as concerns grow over hybrid attacks involving Russia.

Last week, drones hit two ships off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, causing one to sink. All 10 crew members from the ship that sank remain unaccounted for.