The Alfa Watan was struck (Image: Vessel Finder)
Two commercial ships have been hit in the Black Sea, within the economic zone of NATO member state Bulgaria, the country’s government has said. The crew of one ship has been rescued, while the other vessel sank and its crew are missing, Rumen Nikolov, head of rescue operations in Varna, said. It is currently unclear where the drones came from. The sunken vessel is believed to be the Alfa Watan, according to Bulgarian shipping news outlet Maritime.bg, while the other has been named as the Palau-flagged Able. Able’s crew of 18, some of whom were left injured, reportedly abandoned the ship after a fire broke out and were taken aboard the Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria.
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Situation in Black Sea ‘increasingly concerning’
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called the situation in the Black Sea “increasingly concerning”, calling the latest attacks “unacceptable”.
First rescued sailor pictured
An injured crew member has been pictured after being rescued from a ship struck by drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, arriving at the harbour after he was rescued, in Varna.
The rescue mission continues. (Image: Getty)
The rescue mission continues. (Image: Getty)
Update from Bulgarian PM
Mr Radev confirmed the rescue operation is ongoing, and warned against further escalation in the Russia–Ukraine war which has been raging since February 2022.
He wrote on X: “The attack within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable. It constitutes a serious breach of maritime and international law and will further jeopardise safe navigation in the Black Sea.
“I have long warned that unless this war is brought to an end in time, it will continue to expand geographically, intensify and increase the risk of an even wider conflict, potentially on a global scale.”
It is important to note that there has not yet been confirmation of where the drones have been launched from and who may be behind this drone incident.
‘Bulgaria is prepared to act’
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said: “The war is getting fiercer, civilian sea vessels are being attacked. Bulgaria is fully prepared to act, so we will not allow the Bulgarian coast to be unprotected by warships.”
It’s not yet clear who carried out the attack, which involved air and sea drones about 70 miles away from a Bulgarian seaside town.
Radev said Bulgaria is ready to act. (Image: Getty)
Two sailors rescued
Indian and Turkish sailors have been rescued, the regional governor of Varna, Mario Smrkov, confirmed. One has severe burns and is being transported to the specialised clinic at the Military Medical Academy, while the other suffered a serious head injury.
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Large-scale search operation underway
Two helicopters from the Krumovo airbase are heading towards a naval formation to load rescuers on board and send them out to sea if necessary.
A Su-25 aircraft will also conduct aerial reconnaissance over the area, flying at a lower speed for a more thorough search for survivors.
Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said weather conditions in the area allow for a large-scale search operation.
He added: “We will do everything possible to explore the entire area and, if possible, rescue survivors from the crew of the first ship.”
Su-25 aircraft are being drafted in. (Image: Getty)
Bulgaria monitoring another ship
Mr Radev said Bulgaria is tracking another vessel in the Black Sea to determine whether it could enter the country’s territorial waters or head towards its coast.
The ship was hit in August and is currently drifting with a failed control system and without a crew. The Bulgarian Air Force flew over it two days ago, and the Maritime Administration, the Air Force, and the Special Operations Forces are on standby.
Mr Radev said: “If it continues in any way to head towards our coast, we are fully prepared to act… We will not allow the Bulgarian coast to be endangered by drifting ships in any way.”
Radev said Bulgaria is tracking another vessel. (Image: Getty)
‘An absolutely gross violation of international law’
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev claimed the drone strikes on the two ships near his country are linked to the escalation of hostilities in the area and warned of the conflict spreading.
He said: “An absolutely unacceptable attack in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone. An absolutely gross violation of international law and maritime affairs in general.
“As I have already stated for a long time about this war, if it is not ended in time, it will continue to expand its spatial scope and increase the risk of even a global conflict. Civilian naval vessels are being attacked. Absolutely unacceptable.”
It is currently unclear where the drones came from.
Radev confirmed the strikes. (Image: Getty)
Russia ‘violating international law’ with strike on ship near Odesa
Governor Kiper said: “Another enemy attack on civilian shipping in the Black Sea. A commercial vessel flying the flag of the Marshall Islands and carrying rapeseed oil was damaged by a strike from a Russian UAV. A fire broke out in the superstructure.
“One person was killed, and seven others were injured as a result of the strike. By deliberately targeting civilian shipping and port infrastructure, Russia is grossly violating international law and posing a threat to global food security.”
Another ship targeted in Black Sea
Oleh Kiper, the governor of Odesa Oblast in Ukraine, said one person has been killed and another seven injured in a Russian drone strike on a Marshall Islands-flagged commercial cargo ship in the Black Sea.
Ship disappears from radar
Both ships sent out distress signals at around 4am local time while roughly 80 nautical miles from Bulgaria, east of Cape St. Atanas and the town of Byala. Then, at around 9am, one disappeared from Border Police radar.
What we know about the Alfa Watan
The sunken vessel is believed to be the Alfa Watan, according to Bulgarian shipping news outlet Maritime.bg. It was sailing under the flag of Togo and headed for the Romanian port of Sulina, according to ship tracking website Vessel Finder.
Its last known location was roughly 70 nautical miles off the coast of Bulgaria just after 2am local time on Tuesday. Both ships are believed to be Turkish-owned.
The Alfa Watan was struck. (Image: Vessel Finder)
What we know about the Able
Able’s crew of 18, some of whom were left injured, reportedly abandoned the ship after a fire broke out and were taken aboard the Bulgarian ferry Dioscuria.
A Navy fast craft then rescued two sailors from Able, one of whom had burns and the other a head injury. They are both being taken to the port of Varna, where they will be seen by medical teams from the Naval Hospital.
The other 16 crew members – Turkish and Canadian – are being transported by a Border Police patrol boat.
The Able was struck (Image: Vessel Finder)
Two ships hit, one sinks
The crew of one ship has been rescued, while the other vessel sank and its crew are missing, Rumen Nikolov, head of rescue operations in Varna, said.
The sunken vessel is believed to be the Alfa Watan, according to Bulgarian shipping news outlet Maritime.bg, while the other has been named as the Able.
Welcome to our live blog
Welcome to our live blog. We’ll bring you the latest on the incident in the Black Sea today.