In brief
A container ship was struck by three drones east of Cape Kaliakra and sank near Shabla, leaving 18 crew safe. Bulgarian authorities report conflicting cargo reports—lithium‑ion batteries versus light fuel oil—and are conducting extensive seawater sampling to detect any pollution. Monitoring continues with results to be published.
A container ship struck by three maritime drones sank at around midnight on Wednesday off the coast of Bulgaria, 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla, but all 18 crew were rescued and brought ashore.
According to BTA, the vessel carried lithium‑ion batteries, while the Maritime Administration Executive Agency reported it was carrying light fuel oil, specifically gas oil.
The ship, a Greek-owned vessel sailing under a Liberian flag, sank near the midpoint of its journey; the crew, made up of 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, was rescued and transported to Varna.
In an interview, Admiral Emil Eftimov, Bulgaria’s outgoing Chief of Defence, said the drones that attacked the ship came from the east and did not enter Bulgarian territorial waters, and that the country’s early‑warning systems were on alert during the incident.
Defence Ministry teams collected seawater samples from two sites in Bulgarian territorial waters and reported no visible signs of pollution.
The Environment and Water Ministry plans to collect seawater samples at five coastal locations—Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala, and Sozopol—on Thursday, testing for petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals and other physicochemical indicators.
Additional sampling is scheduled around the ship’s wreck site, with results to be analyzed by the agency’s regional laboratories in Varna and Burgas, and the find will help determine if pollution is present beyond visual inspection.
The Maritime Administration assessed that the light fuel oil on board would evaporate quickly and is not expected to reach the Bulgarian coast, indicating no immediate marine or coastal damage.
Monitoring of the marine environment is continuing, with the competent authorities ready to take action should a pollution risk arise; the results of the sampling will be made public by the Ministry.
