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Naval Drones Strike Ship Off Bulgaria as Three NATO Defense Ministers Meet
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Three naval drones struck a Liberian-flagged container ship approximately 21 miles off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast on October 28, Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov confirmed.
Stoyanov announced the attack during a meeting with his counterparts from Romania and Türkiye in Sofia, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported on October 28.
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"While this meeting was taking place, a container ship was struck by three naval drones in the adjacent waters. The distance is approximately 21 miles from Shabla," Stoyanov stated.
The vessel, identified as CONTSHIP JET, was traveling from Haifa, Israel, toward Constanța, Romania, when it was attacked near Cape Kaliakra, inside Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.
The ship sustained extensive damage to its starboard side, while fishermen in the area reported that it was burning. Crew members evacuated onto life rafts, and a nearby tanker was directed toward the vessel to provide assistance.
Stoyanov emphasized that Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye unanimously condemned drone attacks against commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
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"These tragic incidents represent a dangerous escalation of tensions and create serious risks to the safety of navigation," the minister warned.
The three NATO members also agreed to establish a trilateral coordination mechanism for Black Sea security. The initiative will involve regular consultations, improved intelligence sharing, enhanced maritime surveillance, and stronger early-warning capabilities.
Stoyanov confirmed that the countries had adopted a joint statement and planned further political-level talks in Bucharest and military expert consultations in Ankara.
The strike on CONTSHIP JET follows a string of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria's coast earlier in October. On October 13, three aerial drones hit the Maltese-flagged, Ukrainian-owned Chelsea 3 roughly 18 nautical miles east of Byala, forcing all 15 crew members to evacuate.
The same night, the cargo ship Azov Concord sank after being struck 17 nautical miles east of Krapets. Before that, two other commercial vessels were hit in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone, killing at least two people.
Sofia moved to summon the Russian ambassador, arguing that the attacks benefited Moscow while acknowledging it lacked conclusive evidence of responsibility.
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