Bulgaria summoned Russia’s ambassador to Sofia after two ships were hit off the country’s coast, as concerns mount over the security of Black Sea shipping.
The strikes on two cargo vessels on Tuesday add to a series of more frequent attacks on ships in the western part of the Black Sea, a vital route for Ukrainian grain exports that’s close to the territorial waters of NATO member states.
While the Bulgarian government has previously refused to point at Russia due to lack of evidence, on Tuesday it requested talks with Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova on the grounds that the Kremlin is the main beneficiary from the hits.
“There’s no logic in Ukraine destroying its own ships, and the results of these strikes work to Russia’s advantage,” Prime Minister Rumen Radev’s office said in a statement after the meeting.
“Although not a party in the war, Bulgaria is suffering significant economic and financial damage,” the statement said. “Attacks in the Black Sea have already led to increased risks for commercial shipping, higher insurance costs, and even refusals to transport cargo to Bulgarian ports.”
Mitrofanova said she understood Radev’s logic but she has no information from the Russian defense ministry regarding the latest attacks, according to the same statement. She didn’t rule out that the attacks could be a provocation from a third country.
Chelsea 3, a Ukrainian-owned cargo vessel sailing under the Maltese flag, was struck around 01:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 18 nautical miles (33 kilometers) off the Bulgarian coast near the town of Byala.
Another cargo ship, which the Bulgarian President’s office identified as HS Dignity, sailing under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, was struck and sank 17 miles away from the village of Krapets. Eleven crew members are still missing, BNR public radio reported, citing the governor of Dobrich region.
Both attacks took place in the immediate vicinity of Bulgaria’s 12-mile territorial water zone.
Still, wheat prices were mostly steady on Tuesday. “More attacks don’t really alter the picture much, bar reminding the market that Black Sea shipping does have its dangers, and that a Russia-Ukraine resolution is a way off,” said Mike Verdin, senior markets consultant at CRM AgriCommodities.
Preslav Raykov, Global Trading Manager at Magic Flame Group, said the attacks are starting to affect risk perceptions for grain traders who are new to the region. If the strikes get more intense, that could affect export activity from Romania and Bulgaria, the latter being a big net exporter of wheat without high internal demand, he said.
The 15-member crew of the Chelsea 3, made up of Ukrainian and Azerbaijani sailors, spoke of an attack by three aerial drones. The ship, which remains afloat, was traveling from the Turkish city of Giresun to the Moldovan river port of Giurgiulesti, the specialized news website Maritime.bg reported.
Three people were placed in the maritime hospital in the city of Varna, according to the Defense Ministry. Five sailors have so far been rescued from the HS Dignity, which traveled from Mostanagem, Algeria, to Braila, Romania, according to data from the Marine Traffic AIS tracing platform.
The attacks come after cargo ships were struck in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone last week, one of which sank in three minutes without survivors, likely making it among the deadliest incidents of Russia’s war against Ukraine outside the battlefield. Another ship, carrying corn, was hit in Romania’s economic zone, also last week.
“We have already strengthened our posture along the eastern flank and will continue to monitor the security environment, adjusting our deterrence and defense posture as needed,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on X after speaking to Radev about the case.
Radev sought support for strengthening Bulgaria’s capabilities for monitoring and control of its naval and air space, his office said. Bulgaria is already seeking support from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union to investigate last week’s cases.
Radev raised the topic of ways to guarantee the safety of Black Sea navigation at this week’s meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, his office said. The defense ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey also discussed the issue in a series of phone calls on Monday, the defense ministry in Sofia said.
The three countries already have a joint program for mine-sweeping in territorial waters, which they’re working to expand to protect underwater infrastructure.
“The escalation of the war led to an increase of the incidents near the Bulgarian shores and is turning the Black Sea into a military zone,” Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova, who called a security meeting last week, said in a statement. “Freedom of shipping and safety of supply chains are seriously threatened, generating significant risks to our country.”
–With assistance from Pyotr Kozlov and Eleanor Thornber.
(Updates with market reaction in eighth and ninth paragraphs, further details on ships involved and NATO response throughout.)