Bulgarian authorities launched a major search operation on Tuesday for missing crew members after drone strikes hit two civilian cargo ships in the Black Sea. Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attacks within the country’s exclusive economic zone as a flagrant violation of international law.
The maritime strikes unfolded roughly 70 miles off the coastal town of Byala in eastern Bulgaria. Air and sea drones targeted two commercial vessels in waters that shipping sources indicated appeared to be the first such attack in Bulgarian waters.
The Sinking of the Alfa Watan and the Search for Missing Sailors
One of the vessels involved, the Togo-flagged general cargo ship Alfa Watan, sank following the explosion.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev confirmed that a comprehensive search operation was underway to locate the missing sailors from the sunken ship. The vessel was a Turkish-owned general cargo ship reportedly heading for Sulina, Romania, though its cargo and exact crew count were not initially clear.
Rescue of the Able and Assessment of Damages
A second merchant vessel, the Palau-flagged general cargo ship ABLE, was also struck during the assault within Bulgaria’s economic zone, according to reports from the British maritime risk management group Vanguard. Both vessels issued distress signals before or during the strikes.
The 18 crew members aboard the Able — consisting of 11 Turkish nationals and seven Indian nationals — were successfully rescued. Two crew members required hospital treatment, with one suffering from burns and another sustaining a head injury.
Bulgarian Officials Denounce Strikes in Exclusive Economic Zone
Bulgarian officials convened an emergency response following the twin strikes, and the office of President Iliana Iotova confirmed the attack in an emailed statement. Prime Minister Radev denounced the aggression in stark terms during a televised address.
“Such an attack within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable.”
Prime Minister Rumen Radev, via Agence France-Presse
While Radev did not explicitly name the party responsible for launching the drones, a maritime security source stated that initial assessments suggested it had probably been a Russian attack. Radev connected the escalation directly to the broader conflict in Ukraine, warning that if this war is not halted in time, the geographic reach will continue to expand and heighten the risk of global conflict.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also weighed in on the maritime escalation, writing online that commercial ships and innocent crews are facing targeted violence with lives already lost at sea. She added that while the exact circumstances of these incidents were still being established, the developments were very concerning and attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable.
Broader Black Sea Maritime Strains
Russian authorities issued no immediate comment on these events.
These incidents continue to complicate commercial navigation across trade and energy routes where European countries have repeatedly reported Russian drones breaching airspace and mines floating in the Black Sea since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
