Contship jet hit by three naval drones about 40 km off Bulgaria
The Liberian-flagged Contship jet was hit by three naval drones near Cape Kaliakra; ministers from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey agreed to a trilateral security mechanism.
A container ship flagged in Liberia was struck by three naval drones in the Black Sea roughly 40 kilometres off Shabla on Bulgaria’s northeastern coast, Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced during a trilateral meeting in Sofia.
Regional ministers meet as attack unfolds
Stoyanov confirmed the attack while meeting with Turkey’s defence minister, Yaşar Güler, and Romania’s defence minister, Stefan Radu-Opre, together with the three countries’ chiefs of staff to discuss regional security.
The vessel was identified as Contship jet. According to maritime reporting, the ship had earlier sailed from Haifa in Israel and was bound for the Romanian port of Constanța when it was hit. A tanker was dispatched to assist and the crew evacuated into lifeboats; there is currently no public information on the crew’s condition or the scale of damage to the ship.
"While this meeting was underway, a container ship was struck in the coastal zone by three naval drones. The location is about 21 miles from Shabla," Stoyanov said. He also gave the location as roughly 11 kilometres from Cape Kaliakra in other reporting.
Bulgarian, Romanian and Turkish ministers adopted a joint statement condemning attacks on civilian maritime traffic and agreed to establish a trilateral coordination mechanism in the Black Sea. The mechanism will include regular consultations, information sharing and further practical steps to strengthen regional security and stability.
"We call for an immediate halt to the attacks that endanger merchant vessels, maritime infrastructure and the safety of maritime activities," Stoyanov said, adding that the three countries will hold additional meetings in the near future. "The risks are increasing day by day and we must have an appropriate response," he warned.
The latest incident follows a string of air and maritime drone attacks on commercial ships off the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts in October. Maritime reporting says several vessels have been sunk or damaged in recent weeks in similar incidents, including Rjoyad Mammadov, Alfa Watan, HS digence, Able and Chelsea-3.
Photo: press material from the event
