Two commercial ships were struck by drones in the Black Sea near Bulgaria on October 13, 2026. Bulgarian authorities said one vessel sank and another was damaged, triggering rescue operations and an investigation into where the drones came from.
What happened off Bulgaria?
The Bulgarian government said the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3 was hit by three aerial drones about 18 nautical miles east of Byala. All 15 crew members were rescued and taken to Varna. Five received medical attention, according to the government statement.
A second ship was reported hit east of Krapets and sank. The Bulgarian government’s update said one crew member had been rescued from the vessel. Reuters separately identified the sunken ship as the Guinea-Bissau-flagged HS Dignity and reported five people rescued and 11 missing. Because rescue information was changing, the figures differed between reports at the time of publication.
What is known about the drones?
Bulgaria said it did not have clear evidence to assign responsibility for the attacks. The government requested technical support from the European Union, NATO and the European Maritime Safety Agency to investigate. Authorities also said drone debris that could help identify the origin had not been found.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the result of the attacks benefited Russia, but he also said Bulgaria lacked solid evidence to accuse any side. That assessment is not proof of who launched the drones. Moscow had not immediately commented in Reuters’ report.
Why the incident matters
The strikes put civilian crews and commercial shipping at risk in a region central to trade between Europe, Türkiye and Black Sea ports. Any disruption can raise concerns about maritime safety, insurance costs and the movement of agricultural goods. Those broader risks do not establish that a particular cargo or route was targeted in this incident.
Bulgarian authorities said rescue work and the investigation were continuing. The origin of the drones and the final casualty count for the sunken vessel remained unconfirmed in the available official update.
Sources: Bulgarian Council of Ministers; Reuters; Associated Press. This report distinguishes official statements from media updates because the rescue figures were still developing.