Eleven missing after drones hit ships off Bulgaria

Eleven people are missing after two merchant ships were yesterday struck by drones off Bulgaria in the latest spillover from the Ukraine war in the Black Sea.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev summoned the Russian ambassador after drones struck a Ukrainian-owned cargo ship, while another vessel was also hit and sank further north off the coast of the NATO and EU member.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance would adjust its defenses “as needed.”

Emergency personnel help the crew of the Chelsea 3 after it was hit by drones near Byala, Bulgaria, yesterday.

Photo: Bulgarian Ministry of Interior via AP

The Ukrainian-owned cargo ship Chelsea 3 was “hit by three aerial drones,” and shortly afterward another ship was “struck” and sank, Radev said.

“We lack solid, clear evidence to level accusations against any specific party; however ... logic suggests the outcome works to the advantage of the Russian Federation,” he wrote, calling the attack “unacceptable.”

The presidency later identified the ship that sank as the HS Dignity, a Guinea-Bissau flagged cargo vessel that was en route to the Romanian port of Braila

It went down 17 nautical miles (31.5km) east of the Krapets, Bulgaria.

“According to information we got from the rescue center ... five people were rescued and 11 are missing. This is preliminary information,” a spokeswoman for the northeastern region of Dobrich said.

All 15 crew members aboard the stricken Chelsea 3 — seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis — had been rescued after it was hit 18 nautical miles east of Byala, Bulgaria, Radev said.

Rutte, speaking after a call with Radev, said NATO would continue to work closely “with our allies in the Black Sea.”

“We have already strengthened our posture along the eastern flank and will continue to monitor the security environment, adjusting our deterrence and defense posture as needed,” Rutte wrote.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the latest attacks, calling them “another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine.”

Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiga also blamed Russia, denouncing what he called Moscow’s “deliberate disregard for civilian lives and maritime security in the Black Sea.”

“The Black Sea is a lifeline for global food security. Russia is attacking it to weaponize hunger and hold the world hostage,” he wrote on X.

Amid mounting fallout from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, drone attacks have become increasingly frequent in neighboring countries.

The conflict has also spread across the eastern Black Sea, with at least 45 merchant vessels attacked over the past 12 months in areas previously not listed as high risk, the maritime risk management group 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.

Last week, two commercial vessels were hit in the Black Sea off Bulgaria in an attack widely blamed on Russia, although Bulgaria said the circumstances were unclear.

Nine Syrians and one Egyptian remain missing. That dual strike came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, killing one person and leaving another missing.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the ship was hit by Russian drones.