Bulgaria searches for missing crew after drones hit more Black Sea ships

Bulgarian authorities take an injured crew member to a hospital after two commercial vessels were attacked in the NATO member's Black Sea economic zone on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, Varna, in what was the first such attack on shipping in the area. (Bulgarian News Agency via AP)

Bulgarian authorities on Tuesday were searching for the missing crew of a ship that sank in the Black Sea after drones hit two vessels in what EU leaders condemned as an “unacceptable” attack.

The dual strike came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, killing one and leaving one missing. Ukraine said the drone attack was launched by Russia.

Black Sea shipping has been hit by growing fallout from the Ukraine-Russia war in recent months.

Early Tuesday, “sea and air drones” attacked two merchant vessels, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, adding that it was too soon to determine from which country the drones came.

A Bulgarian ferry that witnessed the explosion and rushed to the scene discovered overturned life rafts and life jackets near the ship that sank.

No crew members from that ship have been found, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told reporters. He did not specify how many people were missing.

Eighteen crew -- 11 Turkish and seven Indian -- were rescued from the other ship.

The attack within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone “constitutes a flagrant violation of maritime law and, more broadly, of the rules of navigation”, Radev said, adding it was “absolutely unacceptable”.

A search operation was launched 70 nautical miles east of the coastal town of Byala, authorities said.

Both vessels are Turkish-owned, according to the Equasis merchant shipping database.

“The situation significantly complicates navigation in the Black Sea, drives up insurance premiums, and makes maritime traffic extremely difficult,” Radev said before convening an emergency meeting of ministers.

The ship that sank was the Togolese-flagged Alfa Watan, according to the Maritime.bg specialized website.

The second ship, the Able, registered in Palau, was set on fire.

Two of the rescued crew members were hospitalized, one suffering from burns and one from a head injury.

‘Very concerning’

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen also called attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea “unacceptable”.

“While exact circumstances of these incidents are still being established, the developments are very concerning,” von der Leyen wrote online.

Romanian foreign minister Oana Toiu on X also “firmly” condemned the attack.

According to the available information, the Able was carrying wheat and heading south, while the Alfa Watan was sailing north, Radev said.

Neighbouring Romania reported on Monday that a grain ship had caught fire and sank in the Black Sea.

Ukraine blamed the attack on the Turkish-owned Royad Mammadov on Russia.

The Azerbaijani captain died, while one Azerbaijani crew member remains missing, according to Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry, as cited by Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.

Amid mounting fallout from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, incidents involving drones have become increasingly frequent in recent months across eastern European countries.

The conflict has also spread across the eastern Black Sea.

At least 45 merchant vessels have been attacked over the past 12 months in areas of the Black Sea previously not listed as high-risk, maritime risk expert Ambrey said last month.

No strikes were recorded in the areas in the preceding 12 months, Ambrey said, adding that the increase was driven by attacks further from the coasts of Russia and Ukraine.

It was the first such incident off Bulgaria.

A drone exploded in August close to the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline linking Turkey to Ukraine near the Romanian border in Bulgaria.

Ukraine denied targeting Bulgaria after Bulgaria’s defence ministry said the drone was of a type “widely used by the Ukrainian military”.