Search Launched for Missing Crew After Drone Strikes Sink Cargo Ship in Bulgarian EEZ

Bulgarian authorities and military assets are conducting an active search and rescue operation in the Black Sea after drone attacks struck two merchant vessels in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone during the early hours of Tuesday, sinking one and setting the other ablaze.

Pre-Dawn Attack

The strikes occurred at approximately 0300 local time (0200 CET), roughly 70 nautical miles east of the coastal town of Byala, according to Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev. Both sea-based and aerial drones were used in the attack, he confirmed in a televised address.

The Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria, transiting the area at the time, observed an explosion on the first vessel and diverted to render assistance. Upon arriving at the scene, the ferry's crew discovered only an overturned lifeboat and scattered life jackets. No survivors from the ship's complement were found. Officials have not disclosed how many crew members were aboard the vessel.

Second Vessel Ablaze, Crew Rescued

The second ship caught fire following the drone strike, but all 18 of her crew were successfully rescued by the Dioscuria. The survivors comprise 11 Turkish and seven Indian nationals, Radev stated.

Two of the rescued seafarers sustained injuries, one suffering burns and the other a head injury. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov confirmed, according to local outlet Nova Varna, that a Bulgarian Navy vessel collected the injured crew members and was transporting them to the port of Varna, where military medical teams had been placed on standby. The remaining 16 crew members were being brought ashore aboard a Border Police patrol boat.

Search and Rescue Operation

Stoyanov stated that two helicopters had been dispatched to Varna to collect rescue teams, while a Su-25 aircraft was tasked with conducting aerial reconnaissance over the area. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre is directing the overall operation.

Both vessels transmitted distress signals during the night, and one target disappeared from Border Police radar at approximately 0900 local time (0800 CET), according to public broadcaster BNR.

Vessels Identified

Bulgarian shipping news site Maritime.bg identified the sunken vessel as the Alfa Watan and the second ship as the Palau-flagged Able. The site noted that the strikes marked the first attack on commercial shipping within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.

Ship tracking platform VesselFinder shows the Alfa Watan was registered under the flag of Togo and had been bound for the Romanian port of Sulina. The cargo she was carrying has not yet been confirmed.

The second vessel was laden with wheat and sailing on a southbound course, Radev stated.

No Attribution, Strong Condemnation

Prime Minister Radev described the attack as "absolutely unacceptable" but did not attribute responsibility to any party.

The incident follows closely on the heels of a separate attack one day earlier, in which a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain in the Black Sea was struck by at least one drone, caught fire, and subsequently sank. The pattern of drone strikes against merchant shipping in the region is raising serious concerns about the safety of commercial navigation in the western Black Sea.