Bulgarian PM says drones struck two ships off Black Sea coast, sinking one

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said drones struck two ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast early on Tuesday. He said one of the ships sank. Al Jazeera, The Hindu, Reuters and AP all reported his statements.

According to Radev, three drones hit the Chelsea 3, a Ukrainian-owned, Maltese-flagged vessel. He said the strike happened about 18 nautical miles (33 km) off the coast at about 01:30 local time on Tuesday (22:30 GMT on Monday).

Radev said the Chelsea 3's crew of seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis was rescued. Five crew members received medical assistance. No one was seriously injured, he said. He also said one crew member from the ship that sank was rescued. AP, summarizing Radev's remarks, reported that the attack prompted emergency rescue operations.

Radev said there was no clear evidence of who carried out the attack. He said the Russian ambassador would be summoned. In a televised address, he also said he was due to speak with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, according to The Hindu.

Al Jazeera and The Hindu describe this as the second incident in about a week in which drones hit ships off Bulgaria's coast. In each incident one ship sank, according to the two outlets. Al Jazeera reports that all 10 crew members of the ship that sank in the earlier incident remain unaccounted for.

What remains unclear

The reports do not name the ship that sank. They also do not give its owner, flag, cargo, exact location or total crew size. The Hindu's headline describes the sunken ship as Ukrainian-owned. However, its article text refers to the Chelsea 3's crew separately from a crew member of "the sunken ship," implying they are different vessels; Al Jazeera explicitly says the Chelsea 3 was damaged. The reports do not say who launched the drones or what type they were. They include no claim of responsibility. They include no response from Russia, Ukraine, Malta or the ships' owners. All four outlets attribute the core facts to Radev. The reports do not include independent confirmation from Bulgarian maritime, coast guard or military authorities.

What each side says

• Rumen Radev, Prime Minister of Bulgaria: The Hindu quoted him as saying in a televised address: "This is absolutely unacceptable — another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters." He said there was no clear evidence of who was responsible, but that "the outcome benefits the Russian Federation," according to The Hindu.
• Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President: She condemned the drone attacks on the merchant ships. Al Jazeera quoted her as saying: "The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine." In a post on X quoted by Al Jazeera, she wrote: "We stand with Bulgaria and thank its rescuers for their swift response. Those responsible should be held accountable."

Analysis

The incident raises questions about shipping safety near the territorial waters of a NATO member. For now, the public account rests largely on the Bulgarian prime minister's statements. Independent technical findings on the drones or their origin are not yet part of the reports. Several paths remain open. Investigators could attribute responsibility, which may shape diplomatic responses. The planned contacts with NATO and the Russian ambassador could produce statements or measures, or little visible change. Insurers and ship operators may also reassess Black Sea risks. Any of these outcomes depends on information that the reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not yet contain.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.