A fresh drone attack off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has sunk a cargo vessel and damaged another ship, raising renewed concerns over maritime security in the region. The incident on October 13 marks the second such attack involving a sunken merchant vessel near Bulgaria in a week.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, sailing under the Maltese flag, was struck by three drones about 18 nautical miles (33 km) off the Bulgarian coast. All 15 crew members were rescued, including seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis. Five crew members received medical assistance, although none was reported to be seriously injured.
The sunken vessel was identified as HS Dignity, a Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship that was sailing towards Braila, Romania, with a partial cargo. Five crew members were rescued , while 11 sailors remained missing as search-and-rescue operations continued, according to reports.
The latest incident follows a similar attack on October 6, when the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan sank in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. The repeated incidents have intensified concerns about the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea, an important corridor for grain and other cargo movements.
Bulgaria has not confirmed who was responsible for the latest attacks. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the outcome benefited Russia and indicated that the Russian ambassador would be summoned. Moscow had not immediately commented on the incidents, while NATO and European Union officials condemned the attacks and stressed the need to strengthen regional maritime security.
The attacks highlight the growing security risks facing merchant vessels operating near the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone, with potential implications for shipping operations, crew safety and regional trade flows.