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A Liberia-flagged container ship sailing from the port of Haifa to Romania’s Constanta Port sank in the Black Sea after being struck by unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) off the coast of Bulgaria.
The Contship Jet container ship was hit by three naval drones on Wednesday in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, approximately 21 nautical miles from the country’s Black Sea coast, according to Bulgarian authorities. The vessel later sank after sustaining heavy damage.
All 18 crew members aboard the ship were rescued. The crew consisted of 14 Filipino and four Ukrainian nationals, who were taken to the Bulgarian port city of Varna for medical checks.
The Greek-managed container ship was sailing from the port of Haifa, belonging to the occupation regime, to Romania’s Constanta Port when it came under attack.
Cargo raised environmental concerns
Bulgarian maritime authorities said some containers aboard the vessel contained lithium-ion batteries, flammable liquids, gases and other hazardous materials.
Bulgarian naval teams collected samples from several locations after the sinking, with initial inspections showing no signs of pollution in the area.
Security concerns rise in Black Sea
The attack increased concerns over the safety of commercial shipping in the Black Sea, where several vessels have recently been targeted.
The incident occurred as defence ministers from Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye were meeting in Sofia to discuss maritime security.
Following the meeting, the three NATO members condemned attacks targeting commercial vessels and called for an immediate end to actions threatening shipping, maritime infrastructure and freedom of navigation.
The ministers also agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing, improve early warning capabilities and increase coordination in the Black Sea region.
Bulgarian authorities said the attack was the fifth drone-related incident in the country’s exclusive economic zone this month. The origin of the attack has not been officially confirmed.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said earlier that the alliance had strengthened its eastern flank defence posture and increased counter-drone capabilities following growing threats against commercial vessels.(ILKHA)
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