The Black Sea is becoming a new danger zone for civilian shipping after a drone attack sank a vessel and left crew members missing, raising fears that maritime warfare is entering a more dangerous phase.
A merchant ship has sunk in the Black Sea off Bulgaria after a drone attack, leaving its crew missing and raising fresh fears that the war in Ukraine is expanding into increasingly dangerous maritime territory.
The Togo flagged Alfa Watan suffered critical structural damage and sank shortly after the attack, which occurred about 130 kilometres off Bulgaria’s coast within the country’s exclusive economic zone. Bulgarian authorities launched a search and rescue operation for the missing crew, although the number of people aboard the vessel has not been confirmed.
A second commercial vessel, the Palau flagged Able, was also hit and caught fire. All 18 crew members were rescued, although two suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
The origin of the drones has not been officially established. However, the attack has intensified concerns over the spread of drone warfare and the growing risks facing commercial shipping in the western Black Sea.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the attack as a violation of international and maritime law, warning that continued escalation could widen the geographical scope of the war and increase the risk of a broader conflict.
The incident came just a day after another commercial vessel sank near Romania following a reported drone attack, highlighting growing concerns over the safety of civilian shipping and international trade routes in the Black Sea.
