Bulgaria searches for missing crew as drones hit two more Black Sea ships

Bulgarian authorities launched a major search on Tuesday for the missing crew of a ship that sank in the Black Sea after drones hit two vessels in what the prime minister slammed as an "absolutely unacceptable" attack.

The dual strike came a day after another ship caught fire and sank off the Romanian coast, killing one and leaving one missing, in what Ukraine said was a drone attack launched by Russia. Black Sea shipping has been hit by growing fallout from the Ukraine-Russia war in recent months.

A search operation was launched 70 nautical miles east of the coastal town of Byala, authorities said. The ship that sank was Togolese-flagged, according to the Maritime.bg specialised website.

The second ship, registered in Palau, was set alight by the drone but its Turkish and Indian crew members have been rescued.

A boat that rushed to the scene discovered overturned life rafts and life jackets near the ship that sank, but no members of the crew have been found, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told reporters, without specifying how many people were missing.

The attack "constitutes a flagrant violation of maritime law and, more broadly, of the rules of navigation," Radev said.

"Such an attack within Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone is absolutely unacceptable," he told reporters.

"Two merchant vessels were attacked by sea and air drones. This has been formally confirmed by the crews, and both ships were hit," Radev added.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday that attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea were "unacceptable".

"While exact circumstances of these incidents are still being established, the developments are very concerning," von der Leyen wrote online.

A Bulgarian ferry, the Dioskuria, which was in the area, witnessed the explosion of the first ship and proceeded to the scene, joined by a Bulgarian Navy fast boat, which rescued two crew, one suffering from burns and the other from a head injury.

The other 16 crew members were rescued by border guard patrol boats.

Eleven of the rescued crew are Turkish and seven are Indian, according to Radev.

'Extremely difficult'

According to the available information, one vessel was carrying wheat and heading south, while the other – which sank – was sailing north, Radev said. Its cargo is unknown.

"The situation significantly complicates navigation in the Black Sea, drives up insurance premiums, and makes maritime traffic extremely difficult," Radev said.

"As I have long maintained, if this war is not halted in time, it will continue to expand its geographical reach and increase risks, including the risk of a global conflict," Radev added.

The government said it would convene an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the strikes.

Romania reported on Monday that a grain ship had caught fire and sank in the Black Sea, with one crew member killed and one missing. Ukraine blamed the attack on Russia.

The war in Ukraine that Russia started in February 2022 has spread to the eastern Black Sea in recent months.

Turkey's Chamber of Maritime Commerce (IMEAK) said last month that since the start of the war, 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea, the vast majority this year.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)