The cargo ship Chelsea 3, hit by drones overnight 18 miles east of Byala, will be towed to the port of Burgas this afternoon for repairs, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said. It will be inspected closely and in detail there to gather solid evidence about the attack.
This report follows our earlier story on the prime minister's decision to summon the Russian ambassador over a new attack on ships near Bulgarian waters. That story said two merchant ships were hit by drones off Byala and Krapets, and that one of them had sunk.
Chelsea 3 is owned by Ukraine. It is registered in Odesa and sails under the Maltese flag. The crew say three aerial drones hit the ship's deck and side.
The distress call came in at 1:30am. The maritime rescue centre in Varna sent out its emergency and rescue units. A border police crew rescued everyone on board: 7 Ukrainian citizens and 8 citizens of Azerbaijan. They were taken to the port of Varna, and five received medical help for minor injuries, the government said.
On his Facebook page, Radev posted footage from the emergency meeting of the Security Council at the Council of Ministers, which he called. During the meeting, news came of a second ship that was hit. It sank 17 miles east of Krapets, and one member of its crew was rescued. Bulgaria is running an emergency search and rescue operation in the Black Sea.
"Another attack on merchant ships right next to Bulgarian territorial waters is absolutely unacceptable," the prime minister said, as quoted by BTA.
Radev said there is so far no solid and clear evidence to blame any country. He believes Russia may be behind the attacks, as Ukraine has no logical reason to hit its own ships and crews. "As I have already said, the logic points to the result being in favour of the Russian Federation," he added.
Radev said Bulgaria has asked for help with the investigation into the strikes on the three ships, to establish exactly which country the drones came from. Bulgaria will also press for help in stepping up surveillance of its air and sea space and for a stronger ability to respond.
The prime minister has informed Bulgaria's permanent representatives to NATO and the EU, and he is due to speak with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He has already spoken with Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan. Today Radev will summon Russian ambassador Eleonora Mitrofanova for talks and will speak with the president about a joint initiative at the EU Council.
The initiative backs the efforts of Bulgaria, Romania and possibly Turkey to make the Black Sea a sea free of strikes on merchant and civilian ships. Radev called this the main goal and said the unacceptable aggression against civilian ships must stop. He said the Black Sea is a strategic corridor for supplies of food, fertiliser and energy, on which millions of people depend.
The prime minister expects European partners to adopt a moratorium on attacks on civilian ships.