Rear Admiral Mihaylov: Drones’ origin in Black Sea ship attack unknown

None of the 18 crew members - 14 Filipinos and 4 Ukrainians - aboard the container ship CONTSHIP JET, which was struck by maritime drones in the Black Sea around noon yesterday, was injured. They arrived at Varna’s Sea Station last night, and the ship’s owner had already arranged hotel accommodation for them through his local agent. The crew will undergo medical examinations.

Varna Regional Governor Mario Smarkov described the successful rescue operation as “the most wonderful news”, but declined to comment on whether any containers had fallen from the vessel or whether there was a risk to the environment until the relevant authorities had carried out the necessary inspections.

• All 18 crew members rescued from drone-hit ship in Black Sea

• Container ship struck by three drones 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla

Later, Bulgarian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov announced that the vessel had been carrying 421 containers, 20 of which had fallen overboard and were drifting at sea. He added that, according to the captain of the stricken ship, the containers on board were carrying various fuels and other types of hazardous cargo. The ship sank during the night.

Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov said he did not know where the drones had come from, as they could have been launched from anywhere. “We had no forces or assets in the immediate area that could reach them quickly enough to intercept and destroy them”, he stated. According to him, the incident demonstrates that the state needs to invest more in the Bulgarian Navy, as in adverse weather conditions, naval vessels are the only ones that can be relied upon.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment and Water has launched an investigation into possible pollution of the Black Sea following the incident, but no visible signs of pollution have been detected so far. According to the ship’s manifest, the cargo included lithium-ion batteries, corrosive liquids and acids, flammable liquids, ethanol solutions, household chemicals and plastics.

Teams from the Basin Directorate will collect seawater samples today at five coastal locations: Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala, and Sozopol.

Teams from the Executive Agency Maritime Administration have inspected the container ship CONTSHIP JET, which was struck by three maritime drones, the Varna Regional Administration announced. Following an assessment of the vessel’s condition, experts informed Varna Regional Governor Mario Smarkov that no significant adverse effects on the marine environment or coastline are expected at this stage.

Edited by Diana Tsankova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov