In brief
A civilian cargo ship, the Alfa Watan, was struck by drones in the Black Sea and sank, with all crew missing. The attack also hit a nearby grain‑laden vessel, the Able, from which 18 crew were rescued plus two who suffered injuries from a fire. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the strikes as a violation of maritime law, citing the wartime escalation against Ukraine. International leaders, including EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, called the attacks on civilian shipping unacceptable. The incident underscores the growing risk of wider conflict as Russian drone activity intensifies around the eastern Black Sea.
Ship sinks and crew missing after Black Sea drone attack
A civilian cargo ship, the Alfa Watan, was hit by a drone attack around 03:00 local time, 70 miles off the coast of Byala, Bulgaria, and subsequently sank. All 13 crew members are missing, and rescue vessels have not recovered any survivors to date.
In the same attack zone a second ship, the Able, a Palau‑flagged grain carrier with 18 crew—11 Turkish and 7 Indian—was also struck. Bulgarian sailors rescued the crew, but two were injured from a fire aboard the vessel. The Able had been positioned only five nautical miles from the Alfa Watan when the incursion occurred.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev described the strikes as “a flagrant violation of maritime law” and declared them “absolutely unacceptable” within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. While he refrained from naming the attackers, he linked the assault to the ongoing war in Ukraine, warning that the conflict’s expansion could spark global uncertainty.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed the condemnation, writing on X that “commercial ships – and innocent crews – are being targeted, with lives already lost at sea. Attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable.”
The incident lights a stark warning over the fragile maritime security in the Black Sea, where Russian drone activity has intensified. The region’s commercial lanes are increasingly under threat as hostilities spread beyond Ukraine’s frontlines.
