Bulgaria Points to Russia as Drones Hit More Cargo Ships

Two cargo ships were struck near Bulgaria on Tuesday. Chelsea 3, a Ukrainian-owned vessel under the Maltese flag, was hit by three aerial drones but remained afloat. HS Dignity, flying the Guinea-Bissau flag, was struck near Krapets and sank. Eleven crew members were still missing, while five were rescued.

Bulgaria summoned Russian Ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova because it said Russia could benefit from the attacks. Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s office argued that Ukraine had little reason to destroy its own ships. Mitrofanova said she lacked information from Russia’s defense ministry and did not rule out a provocation by another country.

Bulgaria also asked NATO and the European Union for help investigating earlier incidents. Radev sought stronger monitoring and control of Bulgarian naval and air space. Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey discussed maritime security and are expanding mine-sweeping cooperation to protect territorial waters and underwater infrastructure.

Territorial waters are the sea belt directly beside a country’s coast. Under widely accepted maritime law, they usually extend up to 12 nautical miles. The coastal state exercises sovereignty there, subject to navigation rules. Bulgaria’s territorial-water limit is important because both Tuesday’s attacks occurred just outside it.

An exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, can extend up to 200 nautical miles from the coast. It gives the coastal country special rights over natural resources, such as fish, oil, and gas. It does not make the entire zone national territory. Other countries generally retain navigation and overflight freedoms.

The distinction matters because the article reports earlier ship attacks in Bulgaria’s EEZ and another in Romania’s EEZ. Tuesday’s strikes happened near, but outside, Bulgaria’s 12-mile territorial-water zone. That location increases security concerns while preserving a legal difference between incidents inside territorial waters and those in a broader economic zone.

The Chelsea 3 was struck 18 nautical miles, or 33 kilometers, off Bulgaria near Byala. HS Dignity was hit 17 miles from Krapets. Both locations were immediately outside Bulgaria’s 12-nautical-mile territorial-water zone. The proximity placed the attacks close to a NATO member’s coastline and raised concerns about Black Sea security.

The Chelsea 3 carried 15 crew members. Three people were taken to a maritime hospital in Varna. The article does not report deaths from that attack. Five sailors were rescued from HS Dignity, while 11 crew members were still missing after the vessel sank.

The article therefore reports three injured, five rescued, and 11 missing in the Tuesday incidents. It does not report a confirmed death toll for those attacks. Separately, it mentions an earlier ship that sank in three minutes without survivors, but it does not provide a number of victims for that incident.

The western Black Sea matters because it carries Ukrainian grain exports. It lies close to NATO member states, making attacks there a security concern as well as a trade problem. The route also connects ships with ports in Bulgaria and Romania, linking regional agriculture to international buyers.

The article highlights Bulgaria’s exposure as a major net exporter of wheat with relatively low internal demand. Romania is also affected because ships have been struck in its economic zone and cargo routes connect with Romanian ports. A damaged security environment can discourage vessels from carrying grain or calling at ports.

The consequences reach beyond Ukraine. Bulgaria reported higher insurance costs and refusals to transport cargo to its ports. Grain traders unfamiliar with the region are reassessing risk. If attacks intensify, export activity from Bulgaria and Romania could weaken, reducing shipping flows and making regional grain trade less reliable.

A dangerous sea route changes the economics of shipping. Carriers face greater chances of damage, delay, or crew loss, so insurers charge more to cover voyages. Some operators may refuse particular cargoes or ports altogether. These effects can make trade slower and more expensive without immediately stopping it.

The article gives direct examples from Bulgaria. Attacks had already increased risks for commercial shipping, raised insurance costs, and led to refusals to transport cargo to Bulgarian ports. Traders were also beginning to view the region as riskier. Wheat prices, however, were mostly steady on Tuesday.

If strikes become more intense, export activity from Romania and Bulgaria could suffer. Bulgaria’s large wheat surplus makes reliable shipping especially important because domestic demand is not high. Continued insecurity could reduce available vessels, disrupt supply chains, and increase costs for exporters and buyers, even if commodity prices respond gradually rather than instantly.

Bulgaria is the directly affected coastal state. It summoned Russia’s ambassador, requested talks, sought help from NATO and the EU, and asked for stronger monitoring of its naval and air space. It is also working with Romania and Turkey on mine-sweeping and protection of underwater infrastructure.

Russia is under suspicion from Bulgaria because officials believe the Kremlin benefits from attacks that damage Ukrainian-linked shipping. Russia’s ambassador said she had no information from the defense ministry about the latest strikes and suggested another country could have staged a provocation. The article does not identify the attacker.

Ukraine is involved through the war and the grain-export route, and Chelsea 3 was Ukrainian-owned. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance had strengthened its eastern-flank posture and would keep monitoring the security environment. The EU is being asked to help investigate earlier incidents and improve navigation safety.

A ship’s owner and its flag state do different jobs. Ownership identifies the company or entity that controls the vessel commercially. Registration under a flag identifies the country whose maritime law applies to the ship. Owners may choose another country’s registry because of costs, rules, services, financing, or access to international shipping.

The article shows this arrangement clearly. Chelsea 3 was Ukrainian-owned but sailed under the Maltese flag. HS Dignity sailed under Guinea-Bissau’s flag. Those flags do not change the ships’ ownership. They identify the states responsible for regulating and documenting the vessels under their registries.

The flag state normally must oversee ship safety, crew standards, inspections, and compliance with international maritime obligations. Coastal and port states also retain certain powers when ships enter their waters or ports. In this case, Bulgaria’s geographic proximity made it a key responder, even though neither vessel flew the Bulgarian flag.