Drones hit two merchant ships in Bulgaria’s Black Sea zone; one sinks, crews missing

Drones Hit Two Ships Within Bulgaria's Economic Zone, Sinking One, Crew Missing Escalation in the Black Sea has now become a daily occurrence in the context of the Ukraine war, and more dangerous is that Russia and NATO are inching closer to direct conflict. Bulgaria has announced Tuesday that two commercial ships were hit by drones in what it says marks a first attack on shipping within the NATO member’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev declared "This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law." via Marinetraffic.com The vessels have been identified as the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan and the Palau-flagged Able. Both caught fire as a result, with the Alfa Watan having quickly sank at the scene, with no immediate word of the crew's fate. The impact on Togo-flagged ship was reportedly much bigger and more devastating. As for another interesting and alarming detail: The crew of the first ship confirmed it was under attack from both "aerial and sea drones," Radev said. And this was followed by a threat related to a mystery ship off Bulgaria: Radev stated that the Bulgarian defense ministry is tracking a suspicious “drifting ship” in the Black Sea, which has reportedly been on the country’s radar since August. "If it continues to somehow head toward our coast, we are fully ready to act," he added. As for the Able, all 18 crew members were rescued amid the Bulgarian emergency response, with two among the sailors suffering severe injuries and transported to the hospital. The attacks happened at around 3am, some 80 miles off Bulgaria's coast. Unlike in prior Black Sea incidents where authorities were quick to name Russia's military as behind the attack, it is curious that in this case the Bulgarians have not been quick to make allegations as the origin of the drones has not been established. PM Radev continued, “As a state responsible within our exclusive economic zone for the health and lives of anyone navigating in this area, regardless of who is responsible, we are obliged to conduct emergency search and rescue operations." "What is happening is seriously disrupting shipping in the Black Sea, driving up insurance costs even further and making shipping extremely difficult," he added. Monday saw a prior major maritime attack incident which was quickly widely blamed on Russia. A Turkish cargo ship identified as the Royad Mammadov was sunk after being hit by a drone, after it left the Ukrainian port of Ismail in the Odesa region. UPDATE: Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev says the two merchant vessels were attacked by both sea and aerial drones around 3:00 a.m. inside Bulgaria’s Exclusive Economic Zone, around 70 nautical miles east of Byala. 🇹🇬 The Togo-flagged ALFA WATAN, sailing north from Turkey toward Galați, Romania, sank after being severely damaged. Its crew remains unaccounted for. The Bulgarian ferry DIOSCURIA reached the scene and found an overturned boat, three overturned life rafts and life jackets, but no survivors. The search operation remains underway. 🇵🇼 The Palau-flagged ABLE, which had departed Romania and was sailing south toward Turkey, caught fire after the attack. Its entire 18-member crew was evacuated and rescued. Two injured sailors were taken aboard a Bulgarian Navy vessel and are being transported to Varna for medical treatment, while the other 16 are being taken ashore by Border Police. Radev said 11 of the crew members are Turkish nationals and 7 are Indian nationals. Bulgarian authorities are also monitoring the area for possible oil spills and environmental pollution. Radev called the attack absolutely unacceptable and a blatant violation of international and maritime law. The search for the missing crew of ALFA WATAN continues. — GeoInsider (@InsiderGeo) October 6, 2026 That earlier incident happened off Romania, triggering a large-scale rescue operation. Two crew members died, while eleven others were rescued, and with another reported missing. Ukraine's Zelensky said Russian forces were behind it. There's no doubt that the tit-for-tat war on Black Sea shipping is getting nastier as for several months now both Russian and Ukrainian forces have traded drone and missile attacks on ports and ships, disrupting vital Black Sea trade. Tyler Durden Tue, 10/06/2026 - 12:40

The drone attack on two merchant vessels in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea has drawn widespread international attention, with European media focusing on the strike’s location in the maritime zone of a NATO member and the sinking of one ship whose crew remains unaccounted for. European news agencies have highlighted the incident as part of growing risks for civilian shipping in the Black Sea. Ukrainian media have linked it to an attack on a vessel off the Romanian coast one day earlier, while Russian outlets have so far reported the facts without claiming responsibility or confirming Russian involvement. ...

Bulgarian authorities on Tuesday launched a search for missing crew members of a boat that sank in its economic zone in the Black Sea after drones hit two merchant vessels. Black Sea shipping has been hit by growing fallout from the war in Ukraine in recent months. 

Two commercial ships were hit by drones off Bulgaria on Tuesday, with one sinking and its crew missing. The strikes followed attacks on commercial vessels near Turkey and Odesa as Kyiv and Moscow escalate their drone war in the Black Sea, with Russia retaliating for Ukrainian attacks on its refineries by targeting commercial vessels near Ukraine.

Two merchant ships were struck by drones in Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea, with one vessel sinking and the 18-member crew of the other rescued, according to information from Bulgarian and Romanian authorities. The large-scale rescue operation is taking place east of Cape St. Atanas and the town of Byala, about 80 miles offshore....