Five rescued, 11 missing after cargo ship sinks near Bulgaria

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Eleven sailors were missing on Tuesday after a cargo ship sank following a drone attack off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, prompting Sofia to summon Russia’s ambassador amid growing concerns over the war’s impact on commercial shipping.

Five crew members were rescued from the Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship HS Dignity, Bulgarian officials said. A search and rescue operation was under way near the coastal village of Krapets.

Two cargo ships were hit by drones overnight, with one sinking, according to Bulgarian authorities. Prime Minister Rumen Radev stopped short of directly accusing Russia but said the outcome of the attacks benefited the Russian Federation.

“This is absolutely unacceptable — another attack in the immediate vicinity of Bulgarian territorial waters,” Radev said in a televised address.

Moscow had not immediately commented on the incidents.

The Maltese-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3 was also struck by three drones overnight, Bulgarian officials said.

All 15 crew members aboard the vessel were rescued, including seven Ukrainians and eight Azerbaijanis. None suffered serious injuries, according to the officials.

The attacks came a week after another vessel sank in Bulgaria’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone, leaving nine Syrian sailors and one Egyptian missing. A second ship was also hit during that incident, but its crew was rescued.

The repeated incidents have raised concerns about the safety of commercial vessels operating near the Bulgarian and Romanian coastlines as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.

Bulgaria summoned Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova following the latest attacks.

After meeting Radev in Sofia, Mitrofanova said she had no information from Russia’s Defence Ministry about attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. She also did not rule out the possibility of a provocation by a third party, according to the Bulgarian government.

Radev called for greater support to strengthen Bulgaria’s maritime and airspace surveillance during telephone conversations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Rutte said NATO would continue adjusting its military presence on its eastern flank as needed.

The European Union and Ukraine also condemned the attacks.

“The Black Sea has become another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine,” von der Leyen said in a statement on X, adding that those responsible should be held accountable.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the strike demonstrated what he described as Moscow’s disregard for civilian lives. He warned that attacks on Black Sea shipping threatened global food security.

Commercial shipping in the Black Sea has increasingly been drawn into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with both countries among the world’s largest grain exporters.

Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian Black Sea ports, forcing Ukraine to rely more heavily on Danube river ports and shipping routes close to NATO members Bulgaria and Romania.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has increasingly targeted Russian grain-exporting vessels in other parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, near the mouth of the Don River.

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