Drones strike two merchant ships in Bulgaria’s Black Sea EEZ, one sinks

Two merchant ships were struck by drones in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Black Sea on Tuesday, 6 October, leaving one vessel sunk and triggering a major search and rescue operation. The incident involved the Togo-flagged general cargo vessel ALFA WATAN and the Palau-flagged general cargo vessel ABLE , according to Bulgarian authorities and maritime security reports. The attacks occurred in the early hours of Tuesday approximately 70 nautical miles east of the Bulgarian coastal town of Byala. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said both aerial and maritime drones were involved in the attack. ALFA WATAN sinks, crew missing The ALFA WATAN suffered critical structural damage following the strike and subsequently sank in the Black Sea.