Drones hit commercial ships in Bulgarian Black Sea zone, sinking one

Two commercial cargo ships have been struck by drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, sinking one vessel and triggering a major international rescue operation.

The attacks, which occurred at around 3:00 am local time on Tuesday, took place roughly 70 to 80 miles off the Bulgarian coast near the town of Byala. It is the first time commercial shipping has been targeted inside the NATO member's economic waters.

Neither Bulgarian nor Romanian officials have said who launched the drones, and no group has claimed responsibility.

One ship sunk, two dead

One of the targeted vessels, the Togo-flagged general cargo ship Alfa Watan, suffered critical structural damage and sank.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the crew of a nearby Bulgarian ferry, the Dioscuria, sailed to the location after seeing an explosion. They initially found only an overturned lifeboat and life jackets, with no sign of the crew.

The Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs later confirmed that a coordinated search operation had recovered 11 survivors from the water, but two crew members had died. The Alfa Watan was heading for the Romanian port of Sulina when it was struck. Its cargo has not yet been identified.

Burning ship evacuated

The second vessel, a Palau-flagged cargo ship called the Able, caught fire after being hit. The ship was carrying a cargo of wheat and travelling south.

All 18 crew members aboard the Able — 11 Turkish citizens and seven Indian citizens — abandoned the vessel and were safely rescued by the Dioscuria.

Two of the rescued sailors suffered severe injuries, including one with burns and another with a head wound. Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said a navy boat was transporting the injured to the port city of Varna, where military medical teams were waiting. A Border Police patrol boat was bringing the remaining 16 crew members ashore.

Military and search response

The rescue operation is being run by Bulgaria’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, with assistance from Romanian Coast Guard vessels and an aviation helicopter.

Bulgaria has deployed significant military assets to the area. Defence Minister Stoyanov said two helicopters were sent to Varna to transport rescue teams, and a Su-25 aircraft was dispatched to conduct aerial reconnaissance over the attack site.

Bulgaria's public broadcaster, BNR, reported that both vessels had sent distress signals during the night before the Alfa Watan disappeared from police radar at around 9:00 am local time.

Prime Minister Radev convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday with representatives from the ministries of defence, interior, transport, and environment, alongside national security services. Radev described the attacks as "absolutely unacceptable".

The incident follows another attack on Monday, in which a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain caught fire and sank after being hit by at least one drone in the Black Sea.