Sea drones strike container ship off Bulgaria, crew evacuated

Sea drones struck a Greek owned, Liberian flagged container ship about 21 miles southeast of Shabla in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone on Wednesday, and all 18 crew were evacuated safe and ashore.

Why it matters: The strike is the latest in a string of attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria in recent weeks, and no party has been established as responsible: Ukraine has blamed Russia and Moscow has denied involvement.

Data as of Reuters report of October 28, 2026, via gCaptain, read in full in this run: single wire source for this incident, grade C. Attribution is uncorroborated: Ukraine's blame of Russia and Russia's denial are each that party's narrative. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov and Bulgaria's transport ministry are quoted in the report; the ship's owner, Contships Management, confirmed the attack and the crew's safety.

Sea drones struck a container ship off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast on Wednesday, about 21 miles southeast of Shabla in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters. The Greek owned ship, sailing under the Liberian flag from Haifa in Israel to Constanta in Romania with 421 containers, was badly damaged and listing, according to a maritime security source cited by Reuters, and Bulgaria’s transport ministry said four naval and police boats were sent to assist.

The owner, Contships Management, confirmed the attack and said all 18 crew, 14 Filipinos and 4 Ukrainians, were safe and ashore. Reuters reported that it was not clear who carried out the attack. At least six merchant vessels have been attacked off Bulgaria in recent weeks and government statements put missing seafarers at about two dozen, and Turkey’s defence minister warned Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday against attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.

Sea drones strike container ship off Bulgaria, crew evacuated

Sources