In brief
Bulgarian authorities confirmed that a civilian cargo ship, the Turkish‑owned Alfa Watan, sank after a drone strike in the Black Sea, leaving nine crew members unaccounted for. A second vessel, the Able, carrying grain and flying the Palau flag, was also hit but its 18 crew, including two wounded, were rescued by Bulgarian sailors. Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of maritime law” and urged a halt to the wider war in Ukraine before it could expand globally. The incident underscores mounting risks to commercial shipping amid heightened Russian drone activity in eastern Black Sea waters.
Bulgarian authorities report that a civilian cargo ship, the Turkish‑owned Alfa Watan, sank in the Black Sea after a drone attack, leaving nine crew members missing.
The strike, which struck around 03:00 local time (23:00 GMT), took place roughly 70 miles (112 km) off the coast of the eastern Bulgarian town of Byala, within the country's exclusive economic zone.
A second vessel – the grain carrier Able, flying the Palau flag – was also hit about five nautical miles (9 km) from the Alfa Watan. Its 18 crew, 11 Turkish and seven Indian nationals, were rescued by Bulgarian sailors, including two who were injured in a fire on board.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attacks as a “flagrant violation of maritime law” and said that civil shipping “is being targeted with lives already lost at sea.” He warned that the war in Ukraine could expand its reach if it is not halted.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the incidents “unacceptable” and listed them among growing concerns over commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
At the time of the incident, a nearby Bulgarian vessel scanned the area, finding an overturned boat and life rafts but no survivors. Search operations are ongoing.
