Drone Strikes Hit Ships

A Russian drone strike on a merchant vessel flying the Marshall Islands flag in the Black Sea killed a steward and injured seven crew members on October 6. The vessel was carrying rapeseed oil and suffered damage, with a fire breaking out in the superstructure.

Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said the strike was a gross violation of international law, posing a threat to global food security. The vessel was damaged in the strike, with a fire breaking out in the superstructure.

Separately, two merchant ships, the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan and the Palau-flagged Able, were hit by drones of unknown origin about 112 kilometers off Bulgaria's coast. The incident is believed to be the first reported drone attack on commercial shipping inside Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces did not conduct operations in the area and concluded it was a Russian attack, calling it a combined attack with sea and air drones. The Togo-flagged vessel suffered severe structural damage and sank, with the fate of its crew unknown.

The second vessel caught fire following the attack, but all 18 crew members were rescued by a Bulgarian ferry. Two sailors were seriously injured, one with severe burns and the other with a head injury.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev convened an emergency meeting with state institutions, describing the attacks as a gross violation of international law. He warned that such attacks pose growing risks to Black Sea shipping, increase insurance costs, and further complicate maritime transport.

The incidents come amid a growing number of attacks and incidents involving civilian shipping in the Black Sea, raising concerns over security in the region.