Two merchant ships were hit today by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Black Sea, Agence France-Presse reported, citing the Bulgarian government, BTA reported.
One of the ships sank and its crew is missing, said the director of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in Varna, Rumen Nikolov, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio. The crew of the other ship has been rescued. A rescue operation is underway about 80 nautical miles east of the city of Byala.
The attack on the two ships was reported a day after a Turkish merchant ship was attacked in Romania's EEZ. Today's incident is the first of its kind in Bulgaria's EEZ in the Black Sea, AFP and AP note.
The information about the attack on the two ships in Bulgaria's EEZ was also reported by Reuters. It reports that the office of Bulgarian President Yotova confirmed the information about the attack, and Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened a meeting with key ministers and representatives of the security services.
Since Russia's war against Ukraine began more than four years ago, Russian drones have violated the airspace of European countries and mines have been floating in the Black Sea, posing a threat to key trade and energy routes.
AP notes that the origin of the drones has not yet been established. The attack on the two ships was also reported by Ukrinform and TASS.
Regarding the incident, the AFP agency recalls in the background to the news that in August a drone exploded in the northeastern part of Bulgaria, near the Romanian border and a gas pipeline. Sofia then assessed that it was probably a model used by Ukrainian forces, while Kiev assured that none of the devices were intentionally directed at Bulgaria.
In recent months, the detection of drones and other objects related to the war has sharply increased in the Black Sea, especially in Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish waters, the agency commented. In Bulgaria, between June and early September, nearly 30 objects or fragments related to drones were discovered or destroyed, according to reports from the Ministry of Defense.
Across the Black Sea basin, the maritime risk assessment company “Ambri“ has recorded 56 cases of unexploded ordnance, drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles between March and August, compared with 27 in the previous six months. At least a third of these devices were confirmed to be carrying live warheads. According to “Ambri“, aerial and naval drones now pose “a greater floating hazard to shipping than mines,“ AFP reported.