Greek cargo ship sinks after drone strike off Bulgaria

A Greek-owned container ship sank off the Bulgarian coast on Wednesday after sustaining damage from three naval drones. The vessel, identified as the CONTSHIP JET and flying the Liberian flag, was traveling from Haifa, Israel, to Constanța, Romania, when it entered Bulgaria’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Although the ship remained outside territorial waters during the incident, it suffered severe structural damage while carrying 421 containers. The Bulgarian government confirmed the sinking, noting that the event occurred amid a series of attacks in the western Black Sea that have heightened fears regarding the spillover effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on commercial shipping. All 18 crew members, comprising 14 Filipino nationals and four Ukrainians, were successfully rescued. Contships Management stated that the sailors were safely transferred to the port of Varna. Verified video footage captured by a crew member shows a matte black unmanned surface vehicle, estimated to be five or six meters long, approaching the ship at high speed before striking its hull. A subsequent explosion caused the vessel to list and sink. Analysts from Ambrey, a maritime risk firm, assessed the drone as likely being a variant of the Russian Murena-300S design, noting its remote-controlled maneuvers. However, Andriy Ryzhenko, a former senior Ukrainian Navy officer, stated the drone bore no resemblance to known Ukrainian models. Attribution for the attack remains unclear. Moscow has denied involvement in recent incidents and offered no immediate comment on this specific event. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev suggested that some attacks might benefit Russia. This incident marks the sixth ship attack off Bulgaria this month, resulting in the presumed death of approximately two dozen seafarers. Bulgarian naval commander Kiril Mihaylov revealed that a French patrol aircraft had alerted authorities to the threat, but intervention proved impossible. Initial inspections conducted on Thursday detected no visible pollution, despite the cargo manifest listing lithium-ion batteries, corrosive liquids, acids, and industrial components. In response to escalating tensions, defense ministers from Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Romania issued a joint condemnation of the attacks on October 28. Following meetings in Sofia, Yaşar Güler of Türkiye, Dimitar Stoyanov of Bulgaria, and Ștefan-Radu Oprea of Romania urged all parties to cease actions endangering commercial vessels and maritime infrastructure. The ministers emphasized the critical role of the Black Sea in global trade, specifically for grain, fertilizer, and energy shipments, warning that disruptions threaten food and energy security in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The three NATO allies pledged to enhance intelligence sharing and maritime situational awareness, citing the need to uphold international law, including the Montreux Convention. Further consultations among the nations are scheduled to take place in Ankara and Bucharest.