Reuters, Oct 28 (Reuters) – Sea drones struck a container ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast on Wednesday, the ship’s owner and the government said, the latest in a string of attacks that have raised concerns about the growing scope of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It was not clear who carried out the attack on the Greek ship that was sailing under the Liberian flag in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), or what the vessel’s 421 containers were carrying.
“A container ship was hit…with three naval drones, approximately 21 miles southeast of Shabla,” Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security meeting.
Bulgaria’s transport ministry said in a statement that four naval and police boats had been dispatched to assist the vessel, which was travelling from the Israeli port of Haifa to Constanța in Romania, and that the 18 crew members had been evacuated.
The ship’s owner, Contships Management, confirmed the attack and a company official said all the crew of 14 Filippinos and 4 Ukrainians, were safe and ashore.
A maritime security source with knowledge of the matter said the ship had been badly damaged and was listing.
INTERNATIONAL CONCERN
Drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria have likely killed some two dozen international seafarers in recent weeks, according to government statements on missing crew members. At least six merchant vessels have been attacked.
The strikes have been in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, an area that stretches beyond Bulgaria’s waters but where the country holds sole rights to explore and manage resources.
The attacks have prompted international condemnation and concern about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine. Bulgaria, a member of the European Union and NATO, has sought allied assistance to bolster maritime security.
Ukraine has blamed the attacks on Russia and Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev has said the attacks appear to benefit Russia, but Moscow has denied involvement.
In a sign of the international concern, Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler warned Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday against carrying out attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. He said Ankara reserved the right to take legal action against the strikes.
(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic, Stoyan Nenov and Renee Maltezou’; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Edward McAllister and Timothy Heritage)
