In brief
Three maritime drones struck a Bulgarian‑flag container ship near Cape Kaliakra, sending it to the bottom around midnight. All 18 crew were rescued and Bulgarian authorities began seawater sampling to check for pollution. Further collection will target five coastal sites and the surrounding waters.
A container vessel was hit by three maritime drones near Cape Kaliakra on Wednesday, sinking around midnight. The ship carried lithium‑ion batteries, and its loss marks the fifth drone strike in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone since the start of October.
Bulgarian authorities report that all 18 crew members were rescued and brought to Varna. The Defence Ministry collected seawater samples from two locations in Bulgarian territorial waters on Sunday, finding no visible signs of pollution.
On Thursday, teams from the Black Sea Basin Directorate and the Executive Environment Agency are scheduled to collect seawater from five coastal locations—Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala and Sozopol—to test for petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals and other physicochemical indicators of water quality.
Samples will be analysed at the Executive Environment Agency’s regional laboratories in Varna and Burgas, including additional testing in the area surrounding the sunken ship to detect changes in seawater quality that visual inspection cannot reveal.
The Environment and Water Ministry said it will continue inspections and monitoring, and that the results will be made public. This comprehensive approach aims to confirm whether any pollution from the damaged lithium‑ion batteries has entered the marine environment.
