Three maritime drones struck the Liberian-flagged container ship Contship Jet on October 28 as it sailed through Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, setting the vessel on fire and forcing its crew to abandon ship. The Bulgarian Navy rescued all 18 crew members, 14 Filipino and four Ukrainian nationals, and transported them to the port of Varna for medical checks.
The attack occurred roughly 21 nautical miles off Shabla near Cape Kaliakra on Bulgaria’s northern coast, as the ship traveled from Haifa, Israel, toward Constanta, Romania. The strike coincided with a trilateral meeting of defense ministers from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey in Sofia focused on Black Sea maritime security, and marks the latest in a string of drone incidents targeting merchant vessels in the region.
Attack Sequence and Rescue
Bulgaria’s Defense Ministry said the vessel was hit by a total of three drones, with the first strike reported around midday local time. A French patrol aircraft monitoring the area observed the attack and relayed details on the inbound drones to the Bulgarian Navy’s operations center, enabling a rapid response.
Three Bulgarian Navy vessels were dispatched immediately after the initial strike, and by mid-afternoon all 18 sailors had been pulled from life rafts after abandoning the burning, listing ship. A UK shipping company source told local media the vessel had lost containers overboard and that crew were warned to move away from the ship because a third drone was still inbound at the time of evacuation.
Location and Vessel Details
The Contship Jet was reported to be roughly 16 nautical miles off Cape Kaliakra when struck, placing the incident inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone but outside its territorial waters. The ship was carrying 421 containers and was on a routine commercial run between Haifa and the Romanian port of Constanta when it came under attack.
Bulgaria’s Transport Minister publicly thanked the emergency services, Maritime Administration, Navy, Air Force and Border Police personnel involved in the joint rescue operation for their speed and professionalism. A spokesperson for the Greek company that owns the vessel confirmed the crew was safe and credited Bulgarian authorities for the swift response.
Pattern of Black Sea Drone Incidents
The strike is reported as the ninth incident involving a merchant vessel in the Black Sea since the start of October, underscoring an escalating pattern of attacks on commercial shipping in waters shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. Days earlier, on October 23, a foreign-flagged cargo ship capsized and sank in the Black Sea roughly 13 nautical miles off Constanta following a suspected drone strike.
It is widely believed that Russia is behind the recent string of attacks, though Bulgarian officials have been reluctant to formally assign blame. The attack occurred as Bulgarian, Romanian and Turkish defense ministers were meeting in Sofia specifically to discuss coordinated responses to deteriorating maritime security conditions in the Black Sea.
Why it matters
The attack adds to a rapidly growing tally of drone strikes on commercial vessels transiting the Black Sea, a corridor critical to grain, oil and container trade linking the Middle East, the Caucasus and Europe. Repeated incidents near NATO members Bulgaria and Romania raise insurance costs, complicate routing decisions for carriers serving Black Sea ports, and intensify pressure on regional governments to establish coordinated naval protection for merchant shipping. The targeting of a vessel with no apparent connection to the war underscores the difficulty shipowners face in assessing risk along what has become one of the world’s most dangerous shipping lanes.
Source: The Sofia Globe
