According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Bulgarian Prime Minister Radev held a press conference on October 6 local time, stating that two merchant ships were attacked by drones in the Black Sea early that day. One of the ships sank, and the crew members were missing.
Radef stated that the first merchant ship targeted was the 'Alfa Watan', flying the Togo flag. It was heading towards the port of Sulina in Romania when it was attacked by drones and sank. The whereabouts of the crew are unknown. It is still unclear what goods were carried on this merchant ship, nor is it known how many people were on board.
Radef said that the second attacked merchant ship was named ‘Able’, and it flew the flag of Palau. The ship was carrying grain. The ship caught fire after being attacked, and all 18 crew members have been rescued.
Both merchant ships were within the exclusive economic zone of Bulgaria when they were attacked. Radef condemned the attack as "a blatant violation of maritime law," emphasizing that it was "inacceptable." He did not specify the origin of the drone.
Just one day before the two attacks occurred (May 5th), a merchant ship with the flags of Saint Kitts and Nevis was engulfed in flames in the Romanian Exclusive Economic Zone in the Black Sea, sinking and resulting in the deaths of two people.
