Drone attack hits two ships in Bulgaria’s Black Sea zone, one sinks as rescue operation unfolds
Two commercial vessels were hit by drones overnight in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, leaving one ship sunk and another badly damaged.
The vessels were identified in preliminary reports as the Togo-flagged ALFA WATAN and the Palau-flagged ABLE.
ALFA WATAN suffered severe structural damage and subsequently sank east of the Bulgarian coast. The fate of its crew was not immediately confirmed, and search-and-rescue teams were continuing operations in the area.
The second vessel, ABLE, caught fire following the strike, forcing all 18 crew members to abandon ship.
The sailors were rescued by the Bulgarian-flagged ferry DIOSCURIA. Some of those rescued were reported injured and received first aid before arrangements were made to bring them ashore.
The incident occurred east of Cape St. Atanas and the coastal town of Byala, inside Bulgaria’s Black Sea economic zone.
Bulgarian authorities convened an emergency security meeting following the strikes as maritime and defense officials assessed the situation.
The origin of the drones has not yet been established, and authorities have not publicly identified who carried out the attack.
The incident marks a major escalation in security risks for commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
