Six sailors from the crew of the cargo ship “Chelsea 3“ have been injured in a drone strike near Byala. Five have minor injuries and have been admitted to the “St. Anna“ Hospital in Varna, and one sailor has been transported to the Naval Hospital with minor burns. There are no reports of serious injuries.
All 15 crew members were rescued by a team of the “Border Police“ and transported to Varna. According to Prime Minister Rumen Radev, there were seven Ukrainian citizens and eight citizens of Azerbaijan on board. “Chelsea 3“ is sailing under the Maltese flag, registered in Odessa and is Ukrainian property.
The ship was hit by three drones
The distress signal was sent at around 2:00 am. The ship was located about 15 nautical miles from the coast opposite Byala. According to information received from the crew, three aerial drones hit the deck and side. After the evacuation, the ship remained afloat, but was slightly listed.
„Chelsea 3“ was traveling from Turkey to Moldova without cargo. Previously, it was transporting grain from Ukraine to Turkey, where it was unloaded. There is currently no confirmed information about who is behind the attack and which country used the drones.
The investigation continues
Bulgarian authorities are demanding international support in clarifying the attacks on merchant ships near Bulgarian territorial waters. Rumen Radev said: “We do not have solid and clear evidence to bring charges against any of the parties“. In the meantime, it is expected that actions will continue to establish the reasons for the strike and the origin of the drones.
Sources: bnrnews.bg, bntnews.bg, btvnovinite.bg