A cargo ship sank off the coast of Bulgaria in the Black Sea following a drone attack in the early hours of Monday, October 13, 2026, leaving 11 crew members missing. Reuters reported that the incident marked the second such maritime strike in the region within a week, prompting the Bulgarian government to summon the Russian ambassador.
Two Ships Targeted in Nighttime Black Sea Strike
Bulgarian authorities confirmed that one of the vessels went down off the coast of the village of Krapets. Local media identified the sunken ship as the cargo carrier Azov Concord. Out of its crew, five sailors were pulled from the water alive, while search-and-rescue teams continue to comb the area for the 11 still unaccounted for.
The second vessel, the Malta-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3, also sustained a drone strike during the nighttime raid. Fortunately, all 15 members of its crew—comprising seven Ukrainian nationals and eight Azerbaijani nationals—were safely rescued without sustaining serious injuries.
Following the first comparable incident on October 6, Sofia escalated diplomatic pressure by summoning Moscow’s envoy. Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Radev condemned the latest escalation in a televised address, calling the developments completely unacceptable given that the strikes unfolded directly along the edge of Bulgarian territorial waters.
| Vessel Name | Flag / Registry | Status | Casualties & Rescue Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azov Concord | Unspecified (Local Media) | Sunk | 5 rescued, 11 crew members missing off Krapets |
| Chelsea 3 | Malta | Damaged / Surviving | 15 rescued (7 Ukrainians, 8 Azerbaijanis), zero serious injuries |
Geopolitical Fall-Out and the Weaponization of Grain Routes
While Bulgarian authorities stopped short of officially attributing the drone attacks directly to Russian forces, Prime Minister Radev pointed out that the destructive sequence of events undeniably serves Russian strategic interests. The strikes arrive as Moscow continues to hammer Ukraine’s Black Sea ports with aerial bombardment, forcing Kyiv to lean more heavily on Danube River ports and alternative shipping routes hugging the shores of NATO allies Bulgaria and Romania.
