Sea drones attack container ship off Bulgaria — Fortune
Three sea drones attacked the Liberian-flagged container ship Contship Jet in the Black Sea off Bulgaria’s northeastern coast. Fortune reports, citing Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov.
According to him, the attack occurred shortly before 1:00 p.m. local time, about 21 nautical miles southeast of the city of Shabla, near Cape Kaliakra. The vessel was sailing from the Israeli port of Haifa to Romania’s Constanța. It was carrying 421 containers, but their contents were not specified.
Crew evacuated
The crew abandoned the vessel, after which the sailors were taken aboard rescue ships of the Bulgarian Navy and border police, the state news agency BTA reported. The 18 rescued crew members — 14 Philippine citizens and four Ukrainians — were being transported to Varna for medical examinations.
Reaction of NATO countries
The incident occurred on the day the defense ministers of Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey met in Sofia to discuss security in the Black Sea region. Following the talks, the three NATO countries condemned drone attacks on commercial vessels and called for an immediate end to attacks threatening merchant ships, maritime infrastructure, and the safety of maritime activity. They also agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing, early-warning capabilities, and coordination in the Black Sea.
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Throughout October, a series of drone attacks on merchant vessels occurred off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania. According to Fortune, attacks in these countries’ exclusive economic zones threaten a global shipping route: two people were killed and at least 25 others are considered missing.
The Russian Federation — an aggressor state — has not claimed responsibility for these attacks, although suspicions have fallen on Moscow. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev previously stated in parliament that logic pointed to possible Russian involvement, but added that it was impossible to prove.
On October 15, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that the Alliance had strengthened its posture on the eastern flank, including by expanding drone-countering capabilities due to more frequent strikes on commercial vessels.
