Drone attack on container ship off Bulgaria’s Cape Kaliakra
Liberian-flagged container vesssel Contship Jet was hit in a drone attack on October 28 while passing near Cape Kaliakra on Bulgaria’s northern Black Sea coast en route to Constanța, Romania, specialist website maritime.bg reported.
The attack reportedly took place as the ship was 16 nautical miles off Cape Kaliakra. If correct, that would place it in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, but four miles outside the country’s territorial waters.
The crew reportedly took to the life rafts.
The condition of the vessel is not known.
The ship was sailing from Haifa, Israel.
A UK shipping company told The Sofia Globe in an e-mail on October 28 that Contship Jet was listing, had lost containers overboard, with life rafts deployed, the crew had abandoned ship and had been told to get away from the ship as there was a third drone incoming.
“We have a ship in the area,” the company said.
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov was reported by Bulgarian National Radio to have said that the attack on the Contship Jet involved three drones and took place 21 miles from Shabla on Bulgaria’s northern Black Sea coast.
This is the latest in a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania, and comes as the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye were meeting on October 28 to discuss maritime security in the Black Sea. It is widely believed that Russia is behind the attacks, though Bulgaria’s government is reluctant to apportion blame.
(Photo: Vessel Finder)
