In brief
A container ship hit by three maritime drones sank near Bulgaria’s coast on Wednesday, and all 18 crew were rescued. BTA reports the vessel carried lithium‑ion batteries or gas oil; no immediate environmental damage is expected. Authorities will collect seawater samples at five coastal sites and around the wreck to check for petroleum, PCBs, metals and other contaminants.
A container vessel hit by three maritime drones sank near Bulgaria’s coast on Wednesday, around midnight, and all 18 crew were rescued and brought ashore.
BTA reports the ship carried lithium‑ion batteries, but BTA’s second article says it carried light fuel oil, specifically gas oil, which is expected to evaporate quickly and not reach the Bulgarian coast. Both sources agree that the maritime drones struck the ship approximately 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla, east of Cape Kaliakra.
Maritime Administration teams inspected the sunken CONTSHIP JET and stated that no significant adverse effects on the marine environment or coastline were anticipated at this stage.
Bulgaria’s Environment and Water Ministry plans to collect seawater samples at five coastal locations—Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala and Sozopol—to test for petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals and other physicochemical indicators of water quality.
The vessel’s 18 crew members, comprising 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were rescued and transported to Varna, as confirmed by the Varna Regional Administration. The ship’s owner and the government identified it as a Greek vessel sailing under the Liberian flag, a detail reported by Reuters and referenced by gCaptain.
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters that “a container ship was hit…with three naval drones.” Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov said the drones came from the east and did not enter Bulgarian territorial waters.
