In brief
In the early hours of Saturday, a Turkish‑owned general cargo ship, the Alfa Watan, was struck by drones in the Black Sea and sank, leaving its crew unaccounted for. A second grain‑laden ship, the Able, was also hit but the Bulgarian rescuers recovered all 18 crew, including two injured survivors. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemns the strike as a violation of maritime law and calls the escalating conflict a threat to global security. The incident comes amid rising drone attacks on commercial shipping during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
A civilian cargo ship sank, and its crew is missing after a drone strike in the Black Sea, Bulgarian officials say.
The Albanian‑owned general cargo vessel Alfa Watan, flying the flag of Togo, was hit around 03:00 local time, 70 miles off the town of Byala. It was bound for Sulina, Romania, but left no trace of its cargo or the number of people aboard.
Just 9 km from the Alfa Watan, a grain‑laden ship named the Able, flying the flag of Palau, was also struck. Bulgarian sailors rescued all 18 crew, including two injured in a fire on board. Eleven of the crew were Turkish, seven were Indian.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev described the strikes as a “flagrant violation of maritime law” and warned that the war could expand overseas unless halted.
EU leaders and Ukrainian officials have condemned the attacks, with Ursula von der Leyen calling them “unacceptable.”
The assault comes as Russia increases drone strikes on commercial shipping amid its conflict with Ukraine.
