Cargo ship sinks off Bulgaria: Crew unreachable
The Togo-flagged “Alfa Watan”, owned by a Turkish company, sank after an attack off Bulgaria. Search and rescue efforts for its crew were unsuccessful.
Two commercial vessels were attacked by unmanned aerial and surface vehicles off the coast of Bulgaria yesterday. In a statement on the incident, Bulgarian Prime Minister Ruman Radev did not provide any details regarding those responsible for the attacks, but said one of the vessels targeted was the Togo-flagged cargo ship Alfa Watan, owned by a Turkish company.
The vessel was reportedly sailing toward the Romanian port of Sulina. No information was provided regarding its cargo or crew. Radev said the attack took place at around 03:00 local time, approximately 112 kilometers off the coastal town of Byala, Bulgaria, and involved both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned surface vehicles. He described the attacks as “unacceptable.”
No trace of the sailors found
Bulgarian authorities later announced that they had been unable to reach anyone from the Alfa Watan and that search and rescue operations had been terminated. Rumen Nikolov, Director General of Bulgaria’s Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre, said, “No trace of the sailors has been found.”
Nikolov said the vessel sank within a very short period of time. A Bulgarian vessel reached the area, where the crew reportedly found an overturned boat, three inflatable lifeboats and life jackets. Various pieces of vessel equipment and debris were also seen floating on the surface.
Asked whether any drone wreckage had been recovered, Nikolov said he had no information regarding such debris.
Bulgarian authorities did not provide information on the number of people missing. However, according to statements cited by Bulgaria-based maritime news portal Maritime.bg, there were reportedly 10 people aboard the vessel.
18 crew members, including 11 Turkish nationals, rescued from Able
Bulgarian authorities also announced that the other vessel targeted in the attacks was the Palau-flagged Able, which caught fire following the attack.
The grain-laden vessel had a crew of 18, including 11 Turkish and 7 Indian nationals. All crew members were successfully rescued.
According to information available on Equasis, a platform providing safety, ownership and other details on commercial vessels, the Able is also reportedly owned by a Turkish company.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the attacks in a statement following the incident.
