BTA reports that a container vessel hit by three maritime drones sank east of Cape Kaliakra near midnight on Wednesday, with all 18 crew members rescued and taken to Varna. The ship’s cargo included lithium‑ion batteries, and the incident marked the fifth drone attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone since the beginning of October.
Teams from the Defence Ministry collected seawater samples from two locations in Bulgarian waters and observed no visible signs of pollution. The Environment and Water Ministry said that on Thursday crews from the Black Sea Basin Directorate and the Executive Environment Agency would collect samples at five coastal sites – Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala, and Sozopol – and in the area surrounding the sunken ship.
The samples will be tested for petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls and metals, as well as other physicochemical indicators of water quality. Results will be analysed by the Executive Environment Agency’s regional laboratories in Varna and Burgas and will be released to the public once available.
According to BTA, the aim of the sampling is to determine whether pollution is present and to detect any changes in seawater quality that might not be evident through visual inspection alone. The Environment and Water Ministry and other authorities will continue inspections and monitoring of the incident area.
