Bulgaria, Romania and Turkiye condemn Black Sea drone attacks after ship sinks
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Defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkiye met in Sofia and called for an immediate end to attacks on commercial ships. The container ship Contship Jet was struck by drones off Bulgaria as they met, and the local maritime administration said Thursday it had sunk.
The defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkiye, all NATO members, met in Sofia to discuss security in the Black Sea region. In a joint statement they strongly condemned drone attacks on commercial vessels and called for an "immediate cessation of attacks that threaten commercial ships, maritime infrastructure and the safety of maritime activities." They also agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing, early warning capabilities and coordination in the Black Sea.
The drone attack on the Liberian-flagged, Greek-managed container ship Contship Jet took place while the ministers were meeting. Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said three maritime drones struck the vessel about 21 nautical miles off Bulgaria's coast on Wednesday. It was the fifth drone attack in the country's exclusive economic zone this month. On Thursday, the local maritime administration said the ship had sunk.
The vessel was travelling from Haifa in Israel to Constanța in Romania. All 18 crew members, 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were rescued by Bulgarian naval and border police vessels and taken to Varna for medical checks. The site maritime.bg reported that some containers held hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries. Navy teams reported no signs of pollution after taking samples.
Russia has not taken responsibility for the recent attacks, though suspicion has fallen on Moscow. Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev told Parliament earlier this month that "the logic points in that direction," but that "we cannot prove it." NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Oct. 15 that the alliance had strengthened its eastern flank, including its counter-drone capabilities.
