Two commercial ships attacked by drones in the Black Sea off Bulgaria

On October 13, 2026, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that two ships were struck by drones off the Bulgarian coast in the Black Sea, resulting in the sinking of one vessel. The incident began when an emergency signal was received at 01:30 local time regarding a Malta-flagged, Ukrainian-owned ship that was hit by three drones; the crew of this vessel was successfully rescued. A second ship was subsequently targeted and subsequently sank. Reports indicate that eleven crew members remain missing, with only one individual confirmed rescued from the sunken vessel.

Prime Minister Radev characterized the event as an unacceptable attack on commercial shipping near Bulgarian territorial waters. He has notified NATO of the incident and stated his intention to summon the Russian ambassador for an official protest. This follows a pattern of maritime hostilities, as a similar attack occurred last week in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone involving two other commercial ships, which resulted in nine Syrian and one Egyptian crew member going missing while eighteen others were saved. Investigations are ongoing, and diplomatic measures are being initiated to address the escalating security risks in the region.