The attack on a merchant ship off the Bulgarian Black Sea coast coincided with the trilateral meeting of the defense ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey in Sofia. Dimitar Stoyanov reported that the container ship was hit by three naval drones about 21 nautical miles from Shabla. According to preliminary data distributed by Maritime.bg, the hit ship is the CONTSHIP JET, flying the Liberian flag and traveling from Haifa to Constanta.
There is a difference in the location indicated in the information about the incident. Stoyanov's statement speaks of about 21 nautical miles from Shabla, while Maritime.bg indicates approximately 16 nautical miles from Cape Kaliakra. The minister did not name the ship, and the identification as CONTSHIP JET came from the specialized maritime media. So far, there has been no official confirmation to clarify whether this is a different reporting of the same position or different descriptions of the incident.
Key unknowns remain
According to preliminary data, the crew of the CONTSHIP JET began an evacuation with life rafts and left the vessel. There is no officially reported data on the condition of the sailors, the extent of the damage or whether the vessel is still sailing. The perpetrator of the attack has not been named. It has not been announced why this particular container ship was chosen as a target.
These unknowns are significant because the incident involved a civilian ship that was traveling on an international route between Israel and Romania. Thus, the issue is no longer limited to the specific vessel, but encompasses the safety of trade routes in the western part of the Black Sea. Stoyanov said that the investigation into the origin of the drones is under the leadership of the Military Prosecutor's Office and that only the prosecutor's office can provide information on it.
From individual incidents to a common mechanism
The meeting in Sofia was convened after a series of attacks on merchant ships in the economic zone, territorial sea and the adjacent area of the Black Sea. The talks were attended by Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, his Turkish counterpart Yaşar Güler and Romanian Minister Stefan-Radu Oprea, as well as the defense chiefs of the three countries.
The three countries adopted a joint statement condemning the attacks on civilian shipping. They agreed to establish a coordination mechanism for regular consultations, exchange of information and determination of practical measures in the event of new threats. It is also planned to improve early warning systems.
According to him, Bulgaria does not have sovereignty in its economic zone, but the security of navigation and the response to incidents require coordination. The minister emphasized that the meeting will not remain the only one and that new talks between the three countries should take place in a short time.
Military capabilities and civil risk
The decision on two memorandums is also on the agenda. One is related to Bulgaria's inclusion in a project to counter low-flying threats, including drones. The other provides for the acquisition of „Mika“ anti-aircraft missiles for patrol ships.
Stoyanov described the security risks in the Black Sea as increasing every day. For now, however, the specific attack near Kaliakra remains without a publicly identified perpetrator, without an official summary of the damage and without confirmed data on the condition of the crew. The next actions depend on the results of the investigation and on how much the agreed mechanism between Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey will accelerate the exchange of information and the response to a new incident.
Black Sea – deadlier than Hormuz: 570 attacks and 40 sailors killed in the year
In the Black Sea this year, 570 merchant ships were attacked, and 40 confirmed deaths among sailors were reported, according to statistics from the International Maritime Organization and the British specialized maritime security company “Ambri“, quoted by “Financial Times“.
This makes the sea route, to which Bulgaria also has access, the deadliest in the world. For comparison - in the Strait of Hormuz, 24 sailors died, and the attacks in the Black Sea are six times more than those in the Persian Gulf.
“Financial Times“ highlights the tactics of the two warring parties. During the year, Ukrainian attacks in the Black Sea, mainly targeting Russian diesel supplies to Crimea, first escalated. In the last quarter, the trend has been different - 90 percent of attacks at sea are linked to Russia.
The port of Odessa handled fewer than 10 ships in September, down from 400 in July. All countries with access to the Black Sea are affected, as sailors are scared, insurance premiums are rising and traffic is falling. The worst hit are Ukrainian grain exports, which Kiev is trying to redirect as much as possible to ports on the Danube, which are also under attack and do not have the capacity of seaports. As a result, the decline is 75 percent compared to pre-war times. Russia is also redirecting such exports to the Far East and the Sea of Azov.
Economic effect – prices are rising globally, partly because reduced export profits deprive producers of funds for subsequent sowing and will reduce subsequent harvests.
Military– In the context of the escalations, Ukraine has adopted more destructive Russian methods - instead of engine rooms, and its attacks increasingly affect the bridge or living quarters of ships.
The cargo ship attacked near Kaliakra and the meeting of the military ministers of NATO members Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey are no coincidence. The Kremlin is sending a clear signal that it is putting pressure on Bulgaria, which has taken a hesitant position in recent months regarding Russian aggression in the Black Sea. Rumen Radev's government must take a clear position if it does not want to risk green Russophile drones exploding in Varna and other cities on our Northern Black Sea coast.
We recall that
The Russian fleet bombed Balchik during World War I.
This happened on December 13, 1916. Despite the serious superiority of the Russian fleet, the Bulgarian artillery managed to respond and hit the cruiser “Pamyat Merkuriya“, forcing the Russian squadron to withdraw. The exchange of blows left four dead and five wounded, as well as material damage to the port.
On June 22, 1941 — the day when Germany attacked the Soviet Union with Operation “Barbarossa“ — an unknown plane, associated with Soviet aviation, bombed the city of Dobrich.
At this moment, Bulgaria is not in a state of war with the USSR.
Sources: bntnews.bg, maritime.bg, fakti.bg