In brief
A container ship was attacked by three drones off Bulgaria’s coast on Wednesday, sinking near Cape Kaliakra around midnight. All 18 crew members were rescued, and authorities have begun extensive seawater sampling to check for pollution from the vessel’s cargo. Experts also assess the environmental impact of the ship’s light fuel oil cargo and monitor ongoing drone‑attack risks.
A container vessel carrying lithium‑ion batteries hit by three maritime drones sank east of Cape Kaliakra around midnight on Wednesday, BTA reported. The ship, named CONTSHIP JET, was struck about 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla and later heaved to the bottom of the Black Sea.
All 18 crew members—14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians—were rescued by Bulgarian authorities and transported to Varna. The crews were safely brought ashore, after the ship’s distress signal was confirmed by traffic control and the Maritime Administration Executive Agency.
The vessel carried a cargo of 421 containers, including various fuels and other hazardous materials. According to Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, 20 of the containers fell overboard when the ship was struck by the drones.
Teams from the Maritime Administration Executive Agency inspected the sunken vessel and reported that the ship was carrying light fuel oil, specifically gas oil. The agency said that the fuel oil evaporates relatively quickly in the event of a spill and is not expected to reach the Bulgarian coast, so no significant adverse effects on the marine environment or coastline were anticipated at this stage.
Despite the preliminary assessment that gas oil is unlikely to cause immediate damage, the environment authorities have initiated a broad seawater sampling program to detect any possible pollution that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The samples will be taken at five coastal locations—Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala and Sozopol—along the Black Sea shore, and also in the area around the wreck of the container ship.
The receiving laboratories, located in Varna and Burgas, will test the samples for petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals and other physicochemical indicators of water quality. The results will be made public once the analyses are complete, the Ministry of Environment and Water said.
Admiral Emil Eftimov, Bulgaria’s outgoing Chief of Defence, was interviewed by BTV on Thursday and said the drones that struck the container ship came from the east and did not enter Bulgarian territorial waters. He noted that when the threat from the east emerged the air force and the navy were on alert and that new anti‑drone capabilities are being deployed.
"We are not at war. The drones did not enter territorial waters, so we did not take action."
He further elaborated that the Bulgarian military is working on amending the Defence and Armed Forces Act to grant the operational commander more authority in peacetime situations. The admiral also emphasized Bulgaria’s partnership with NATO to share capabilities and maintain calm in the region.
As the fifth drone attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone since the start of October, the incident has highlighted growing concerns about the expanding scope of hostile actions in the Black Sea. While the Maritime Administration expects the spill of gas oil to be minimal, environmental officials maintain ongoing monitoring and surveillance of the coastal waters.
Current open questions include the exact source of the drones, the potential long‑term impact of the lithium‑ion batteries on the marine environment, and whether future drone attacks could bring contaminants closer to the Bulgarian coast. Authorities have agreed to publish the sampling results when they are ready, offering transparency as the situation unfolds.
