Three Sea Drones Strike Container Ship off Bulgaria, Crew Rescued

Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced that three unmanned sea drones struck the Liberia-flagged container ship Contship Jet approximately 17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra.

The vessel was sailing from the Israeli port of Haifa to the Romanian port of Constanta, carrying 421 containers according to crew members. The Ministry of Environment and Water said that, according to the ship's manifest, the cargo included lithium-ion batteries, corrosive liquids and acids, flammable liquids including ethanol solutions, household chemicals and plastics, as well as food products, construction materials, timber, machinery and industrial components. The Ministry added that no visible signs of pollution were detected in the initial inspection, and laboratory tests of seawater are due to be carried out at five locations along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

The Ministry of Transport and Communications announced that the rescue operation for the 18-member crew—comprising 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians—was successfully completed, and they are en route to Varna aboard a Bulgarian Navy ship.

The minister stated that this is the fifth drone attack in Bulgaria's Exclusive Economic Zone since the beginning of October. The Defense Ministry said that detection information about the drones came from a French maritime patrol aircraft over the western Black Sea. Authorities added that the vessel is currently drifting and accompanied by military boats, with no danger to coastal settlements.

What do these terms mean?

Sea drone: A small boat or vessel operating without a crew and controlled remotely, used for military and surveillance missions.

Exclusive Economic Zone: A maritime zone typically extending 200 nautical miles from the coast, where a state enjoys rights to exploit resources.

Container ship: A cargo ship designed to transport goods inside standardized metal containers.