In brief
A container ship carrying lithium‑ion batteries and gas oil was hit by maritime drones and sank near Cape Kaliakra. All 18 crew were rescued, and Bulgarian agencies are sampling seawater at multiple coastal sites to detect potential pollution. The incident follows a series of drone attacks in the region and is the fifth such strike in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone since October.
A cargo ship, CONTSHIP JET, was struck by three maritime drones roughly 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla on Wednesday, and sank around midnight. The vessel was operating east of Cape Kaliakra when the drones attacked, causing the ship to list and eventually founder.
All 18 crew members—14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians—were rescued by Bulgarian authorities and transported to Varna. The Varna Regional Administration confirmed the incident and reported that the crew had been taken to the port city safely.
The ship’s cargo included 421 containers, among them lithium‑ion batteries, various hazardous materials, and 421 tonnes of light fuel oil, specifically gas oil. According to a statement from Navy Commander Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, the vessel also carried other hazardous cargo and 20 containers were reported to have fallen overboard during the attack.
Maritime Administration teams from the Executive Agency inspected the sunken ship, assessing that the cargo of gas oil would evaporate rapidly and is not expected to reach the Bulgarian coast. The Maritime Administration claimed that no significant adverse effects on the marine environment or coastline were anticipated at that stage.
Despite the assessment of minimal immediate damage, the Environment and Water Ministry announced a detailed sampling plan for the Black Sea coast. Teams from the Black Sea Basin Directorate and the Executive Environment Agency will collect seawater samples at five coastal points—Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala, and Sozopol—on Thursday. The samples will be tested for petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls, metals, and other physicochemical indicators of water quality.
Seawater samples will be analyzed at the Executive Environment Agency’s regional laboratories in Varna and Burgas, as well as near the ship’s wreckage. The objective is to determine whether pollution is present and whether any changes in seawater quality linger undetected by visual inspection alone.
The Environmental Agency noted that the results of the analysis will be made public. The Ministry and competent authorities continue to coordinate monitoring and inspections, maintaining readiness to act if a pollution risk or a change in the situation emerges.
A second team from the Defence Ministry collected samples from two locations in Bulgarian territorial waters and reported no visible signs of pollution, according to the Varna Regional Administration. This follows the first set of samples taken from the immediate vicinity of the wreck.
Sea‑crowd control protocols activated by the incident saw the Varna Regional Administration and Maritime Administration working closely. The Regional Governor Mario Smarkov was briefed on the ship’s condition and the anticipated environmental impact after the initial assessment.
This incident marks the fifth drone attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone since the start of October. The accumulation of attacks has prompted authorities to prepare for additional shipping incidents and to bolster maritime surveillance capabilities.
While no immediate marine or coastal damage has been observed, Bulgarian officials emphasize that monitoring will continue. Seawater sampling along the Black Sea coast will provide data to evaluate the incident’s true environmental ramifications and will be published publicly to maintain transparency with the public and stakeholders.
