Commercial Ships Struck by Drones Off Bulgaria, One Sinks

Things seem to grow ever more interesting in the Black Sea. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, announced that two commercial ships were struck by drones in an attack in the Black Sea, in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. One of the ships was reported to have sunk.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said two commercial vessels were struck by drones on Tuesday in the first attack on shipping in the NATO member’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea.

“This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law,” Radev said.

Speaking after an emergency government meeting, Radev said sea and aerial drones attacked the ships at around 3 a.m., about 80 miles (128 kilometers) off Bulgaria ’s coast.

The Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank at the scene. There was no immediate word on the crew’s fate, he said.

The second vessel, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire after the attack. A Bulgarian ferry evacuated all 18 crew members. Two sailors suffered severe injuries and were flown to a hospital in the port city of Varna, Radev said.

Note that neither of the ships was a Bulgarian-flagged ship, but they were operating in Bulgaria's Black Sea economic zone. Bulgaria is a member of NATO. 

Prime Minister Radev didn't say anything about the drone's origin, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed they were Russian drones. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described that attack as “a horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel” in neutral waters.

It's not at all clear what reason Russia, or anyone else in the area, would stand to gain from an attack like this. The ships are, as noted, flagged by Togo and Palau, although it's not an uncommon practice for a ship to be officially flagged in a neutral country while under the effective control of another, especially when there's a military conflict involved — like the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. This practice is known as flying a "flag of convenience," and can be used to sidestep labor laws, various shipping regulations, and shielding a ship from political and economic tensions. 

As of this writing there hasn't been any comment on the attack from NATO. This wasn't an attack on Bulgaria as such, just an attack on shipping in what Bulgaria claims as its economic zone, so at this point there wouldn't appear to be any reason for NATO to become involved.

The Bulgarian port of Varna, on the western side of the Black Sea, is a major international shipping port in the Black Sea, handling over eight million tons of commercial shipping per year. It's not clear which Black Sea port the two ships involved in the attack were bound for, but aside from Varna, the Black Sea's major ports include Ukraine's Odesa, Sevastopol in the Crimea, now controlled by Russia, and Turkey's Istanbul, which also commands the Black Sea's connection to the Aegean and the Mediterranean, namely the Bosporus Strait. 

Right now, despite President Zelensky's claim, it's not known where the drones used in the attack originated. That's a key piece of information. When and if we learn that, we'll bring you the news. Stay tuned.

Editor's Note: Do you enjoy RedState's conservative reporting that takes on the radical Left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.

Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.