Two ships have been struck by unknown naval and aerial drones within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea
Two commercial vessels were hit by unidentified drones on Tuesday off the Bulgarian coast in the Black Sea, Prime Minister Rumen Radev has confirmed.
The attack marks the first time when merchant vessels were attacked within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of a NATO member in the waterway. Such zones have a unique legal status and are adjacent to a country’s territorial waters, with the area being neither fully under its sovereignty or categorized as international open waters.
“This is an unacceptable attack in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. It is a blatant violation of international law and maritime law,” Radev said while speaking after an emergency government meeting to assess the incident.
The vessels, the Togo-flagged Alfa Watan and the Palau-flagged Able, were hit overnight around 80 miles (128 kilometers) off Bulgaria’s coast by unknown sea and aerial drones, according to the PM, who did not immediately assign the blame to any party.
The Alfa Watan, which was sailing to Romania from Egypt, sustained critical damage, sinking shortly after the attack with the status of its crew not immediately known, according to Radev. The second vessel, which sailed from Romania to Türkiye, caught fire, and its crew of 18 was rescued by a Bulgarian ferry. Two of the sailors suffered severe injuries and were flown to a hospital in the port city of Varna, Radev noted.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rt.com
