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Crew members of one of the drone-attacked vessels disembark in Varna from a Bulgarian border police boat (Photo: REUTERS/Petko Momchilov)
Two Turkish-owned cargo ships were attacked by drones in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea on Oct. 6, sinking one vessel and setting the other ablaze, Bulgarian outlet Novinite reported, citing Bulgarian and Romanian authorities.
The Togo-flagged ALFA WATAN suffered critical damage and sank, while a fire broke out aboard the Palau-flagged ABLE. All 18 crew members of the second vessel were rescued, including two who sustained serious injuries.
Bulgarian authorities said the fate of ALFA WATAN's crew remained unknown as a search-and-rescue operation continued. No survivors had been found at the time of the government's statement.
The attacks occurred at approximately 3 a.m., about 70 nautical miles (80 miles) east of Cape St. Atanas and the coastal town of Byala.
Bulgarian media described the incident as the first known drone attack on commercial shipping within the country's exclusive economic zone.
The Bulgarian passenger ferry DIOSCURIA was diverted to assist the stricken vessels. Its crew rescued all 18 sailors from ABLE after they were forced to abandon ship.
Several sailors were injured and received first aid aboard the ferry. Two seriously injured crew members were subsequently transferred to a Bulgarian Navy vessel for evacuation to a hospital in Varna.
Bulgarian naval and border police vessels, along with aircraft, joined the rescue operation.
Maritime news outlet Maritime.bg reported that the strikes appeared coordinated and specifically targeted merchant ships. Authorities have not established who launched the drones.
Expert suspects Russia is targeting Turkish-owned vessels
All three ships attacked in the western Black Sea on Oct. 5–6, including the Royad Mammadov, which was struck off Romania the previous day, are owned by Turkish companies, Andriy Klymenko, head of the Institute for Black Sea Strategic Studies, noted on Facebook.
"It appears that since Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, Russia has declared open season on Turkish-owned vessels," Klymenko wrote.
According to the analyst, ALFA WATAN and Royad Mammadov are connected to the same Istanbul-based company, Spring Marine Denizcilik, while ABLE belongs to another Istanbul-based company, Ocean Eagle Shipping & Trading.
Klymenko said he doubted Russian military planners could have been unaware of the ownership of the ships they were targeting.
His assessment has not been independently confirmed, and Bulgarian authorities have not publicly identified those responsible for the Oct. 6 strikes.
Klymenko said ALFA WATAN sank at approximately 9 a.m. He also reported that Royad Mammadov, which was attacked the previous day, had sunk.
The analyst recalled that his institute had warned in December 2025 about the possibility of the war expanding at sea.
He argued that only joint maritime patrols by Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania beyond their respective 12-nautical-mile territorial waters could prevent further attacks.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting with representatives of the Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry, other government agencies and security services.
Radev described the attacks as a serious violation of international and maritime law and warned that they posed growing risks to commercial shipping in the Black Sea.
Third attack on Turkish-owned shipping in two days
On Oct. 5, a drone struck the Turkish-owned Royad Mammadov, which was transporting corn near Romania's Pescarus offshore gas platform.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said two Russian drones attacked the ship, killing its captain. Romanian authorities subsequently confirmed two deaths, while 11 crew members were rescued.
The incident preceded the attacks on ALFA WATAN and ABLE by less than a day.
Russia significantly intensified strikes against Ukrainian ports and civilian shipping during the summer.
In July, the propane tanker Gas Lisbon was attacked off the Romanian coast, prompting an emergency rescue operation.
In August, Kyiv proposed through an intermediary that Russia halt attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea. Moscow rejected the proposal.
The latest incidents have heightened concerns about the safety of commercial shipping beyond Ukraine's territorial waters, including in the exclusive economic zones of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria.
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