In brief
A container ship was struck by three maritime drones east of Cape Kaliakra, sank late Wednesday night, but crews were rescued. Bulgarian authorities say little environmental damage is expected and will sample seawater at five coastal sites to monitor for oil or other contaminants, with results to be released to the public.
A container ship known as CONTSHIP JET was struck by three maritime drones east of Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria, and sank around midnight on Wednesday, BTA reported.
The sinking happened about 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla, and all 18 crew members were rescued and brought to the city of Varna, the Varna Regional Administration said.
According to the Maritime Administration Executive Agency, the ship was carrying light fuel oil, specifically gas oil, that evaporates relatively quickly and is not expected to reach the Bulgarian coast, so no major environmental damage is anticipated.
Another report said the vessel was also loaded with lithium‑ion batteries, adding that the authorities inspected the wreck and found no visible signs of pollution in the surrounding water.
As a precaution, Bulgarian authorities will collect seawater samples from five coastal locations – Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala, and Sozopol – on Thursday. The samples will be tested for petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals, and other indicators of water quality.
Analyses will be carried out at the Executive Environment Agency’s regional laboratories in Varna and Burgas. The goal is to detect any pollution that might not be visible and to monitor changes in seawater quality.
The Environment and Water Ministry said the results would be made public. The incident marks the fifth drone attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone since early October.
Security officials, including Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, noted that the drones came from the east and did not enter Bulgarian territorial waters, and that the navy and air force were on alert during the incident.
