First in NATO territory: Drones sink a ship in Bulgaria, crew missing

A precedent-setting drone attack struck two commercial ships in the Black Sea near the Bulgarian coast, leading to the sinking of one. The sunken ship 'Alfa Watan' was sailing under the Togo flag. 18 crew members were rescued from the second ship, 'Able', which caught fire. The crew of the sunken ship is missing. The Bulgarian government convened an emergency meeting.

A precedent-setting drone attack struck two commercial ships in the Black Sea today (Tuesday) near the Bulgarian coast, leading to the sinking of one. The incident is defined as the first-ever attack on shipping lanes in the exclusive economic zone of a NATO member state. The sunken ship is the 'Alfa Watan', which was sailing under the Togo flag and was en route to the port of Sulina in Romania. The crew of the sunken vessel is missing. A fire broke out on the second damaged ship, the 'Able', following the strike; its 18 crew members abandoned the vessel and were rescued, some injured, onto a Bulgarian ferry. The Bulgarian government announced the convening of an urgent emergency meeting, at the start of which Prime Minister Roman Radev will deliver a special statement to the media. The origin of the unmanned aerial vehicles has not yet been determined, and no one has claimed responsibility for the double attack. The incident comes about a day after another serious incident in the Black Sea, where a Turkish-owned cargo ship carrying grain was attacked by at least one drone, caught fire, and sank. The series of attacks raises serious concerns among regional states and NATO officials about a significant escalation and the expansion of threats to international trade routes in the Black Sea.