Sea drones struck a container ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast on Wednesday, defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov said, the latest in a string of attacks that have raised fears about the growing scope of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
– It was not clear who carried out the attack on a Greek container ship that was sailing under the Liberian flag in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone.
– A maritime security source with knowledge of the matter said that the crew had been evacuated. Bulgaria’s national radio reported that a tanker was sent to assist the damaged vessel, which was en route from Israel’s port of Haifa to Constanța in Romania.
– The ship’s Greece-based owner and manager Contships Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
– “A container ship was hit…with 3 naval drones, approximately 21 miles southeast of Shabla,” Stoyanov told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security meeting.
– Drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria have likely killed some two-dozen international seafarers in recent weeks. At least 6 merchant vessels have been attacked.
– The strikes, which sparked international condemnation and concern about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine, prompted Bulgaria, a European Union and a NATO member, to seek allied assistance to bolster maritime security in the volatile region.
– Ukraine has blamed the attacks on Russia, and Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Rumen Radev has said that the attacks appear to benefit Russia, but Moscow has denied involvement.