by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

SOFIA/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Eleven sailors were missing Tuesday after a reported drone attack sank a cargo ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, while a second vessel was struck and its 15 crew members rescued, prompting condemnation from European leaders and a response from the NATO military alliance.

Bulgarian authorities said five sailors had been rescued from the sunken vessel, identified as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity, which went down approximately 17 nautical miles east of Krapets, near the Romanian border. A search continued for the missing crew members, reportedly from Syria and Egypt.

The second vessel, the Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3, sailing under the Maltese flag, was reportedly struck by three aerial drones near the Bulgarian coastal town of Byala. All 15 sailors, including seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis, were rescued, although five required medical treatment for minor injuries, authorities announced.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attacks as unacceptable and suggested that Russia stood to benefit, although he acknowledged that authorities had not established who launched the drones.

He summoned Russia’s ambassador and sought assistance from NATO and the European Union to investigate the incidents.

Radev said the attacks threatened commercial shipping close to Bulgarian territorial waters, raising concerns about the expanding impact of Russia’s war against Ukraine on neighboring countries.

“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,” Radev added.

Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova, who met the Bulgarian prime minister in Sofia, confirmed she had received no information from Moscow’s Defense Ministry about attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. She suggested that a third party could have been responsible.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha directly accused Moscow of endangering civilian lives and threatening global food supplies through attacks on maritime traffic.

NATO PROMISES RESPONSE

The European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, condemned the attacks, describing the Black Sea as another area of escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine,” wrote Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on social media platform X, calling for those responsible to be held accountable.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke with Radev by telephone and pledged continued cooperation with Bulgaria and other alliance members to strengthen security in the region.

“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 stressed.

SECOND SINKING IN A WEEK

Tuesday’s incidents came exactly one week after drones struck two other commercial vessels off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, sinking one ship and leaving ten sailors missing.

Nine Syrians and one Egyptian were reported missing following that earlier sinking, while the crew of another vessel struck during the same series of attacks was rescued.

The latest disaster brought the number of sailors unaccounted for in the two incidents to at least 21, underscoring the growing dangers facing merchant crews operating near the maritime boundaries of NATO member states.

Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov discussed the deteriorating security situation with his counterparts in Romania and Turkey, while Sofia sought additional international assistance to identify the origins of the drones and strengthen maritime and aerial surveillance.

GLOBAL SHIPPING AT RISK

The attacks occurred as commercial shipping in the Black Sea faces mounting threats from the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure, while Ukraine has carried out strikes against Russian maritime assets, including warships and vessels linked to Moscow’s military and energy operations.

Both countries are major agricultural exporters, making the Black Sea a crucial transportation corridor for grain and other commodities destined for international markets.

The latest strikes have renewed concerns that the conflict could further disrupt international trade and endanger civilian crews, even as investigators have yet to establish who was responsible for the reported attacks off Bulgaria.

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