Drones Hit Two Ships in Bulgaria’s Black Sea Zone; Crew Missing From Sunken Vessel
Two commercial ships were hit by drones in Bulgaria’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone on October 6, Bulgarian authorities said. One sank; the other caught fire. The crew of the sunken vessel remained unaccounted for in the reports available at publication time.
Two commercial vessels sent distress signals early on October 6 after what Bulgarian officials described as a drone attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical damage and sank. Its crew’s fate was not immediately known.
The second vessel, the Palau-flagged Able, caught fire. Its 18 crew members were rescued, and two were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, according to Radev’s account reported by the Associated Press. Radio Bulgaria later reported that the search for the Alfa Watan’s crew was continuing.
Bulgaria’s government confirmed that two ships had been hit by drones and convened an emergency meeting. The reports place the incident within the country’s exclusive economic zone, but a precise distance is not given here because the cited accounts use units that have not been reconciled.
Responsibility remained unconfirmed
Bulgaria had not publicly identified who launched the drones. Reuters cited an unnamed maritime security source whose initial assessment suggested a possible Russian attack; that is an attributed assessment, not a public finding by Bulgarian authorities. The sunken ship’s cargo, the status of its crew and whether the attack caused pollution also remained unclear.
An economic zone, not territorial waters
An exclusive economic zone extends beyond a country’s territorial sea. Bulgaria has specific rights and responsibilities there, including over maritime resources, but the reported location should not be described as Bulgarian territorial waters. Radev said the attacks were disrupting shipping and adding to insurance costs as commercial vessels continue to face risks in the Black Sea amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The incident extends recent maritime attacks in the Black Sea into Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It followed a separate incident off Romania on October 5, when a cargo ship caught fire and sank, killing two people. The incidents occurred on different days and in different countries’ economic zones; available reporting does not establish that they were connected.
Correction — October 13, 2026: An unreconciled miles-to-kilometers conversion has been removed. One cited account uses nautical miles; the earlier range should not be treated as a verified position.
Sources
- Reuters, “Crew missing after drone sinks ship in Bulgaria’s Black Sea” — October 6, 2026, 06:48 UTC.
- Associated Press, “Bulgarian prime minister says 2 commercial vessels hit by drones in economic zone” — October 6, 2026, 08:46 UTC.
- Radio Bulgaria, “Drones hit two ships 80 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast” — October 6, 2026, 10:11 local time.
- Council of Ministers of Bulgaria, announcement of emergency meeting — October 6, 2026.
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