Sea drones hit the container ship Kontship Jet three times about 16 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra, navy commander Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov said.

The strikes came today. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced them in Sofia, where the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania were meeting. By then the crew had left the ship on life rafts. All 18 sailors are now in Varna. The ship is still at the site of the attack, drifting.

Where it began: All 18 crew rescued from container ship hit by drones off Kaliakra

A French Atlantique patrol plane that watches the Black Sea spotted the drones first. Two unmanned boats were about 30 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra. A third appeared later, about 50 miles out. They were heading west, towards several ships in the contiguous zone north of the cape. The navy suspected even then that the ships would be attacked.

The maritime traffic control centre got the alert and a request to warn ships of a drone attack. The plane itself told ships in the area on channel 16 and tracked the boats. The navy received a constant flow of information on the situation from the French naval command for the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and kept in contact with the plane.

The first strike came at about 12.00, followed by two more. The drones were moving at about 26 knots. Mihaylov said all three came from the east and hit the ship on its western side. There are three holes in the port side.

The ship's cargo, according to the captain, includes containers of various fuels and other dangerous goods. About 20 containers fell overboard, and the navy issued notices to mariners.

After the French plane reported that the crew were leaving the ship, the navy began a search and rescue operation. "The crew had been warned, which I believe helped enormously to ensure there were no casualties and everyone was rescued," Mihaylov told BNT.

The attack took place in Bulgaria's contiguous zone, outside its territorial sea, but the rear admiral said these are international waters. He refused to say where the drones came from. "I can't say where they come from, because drones can come from anywhere. We don't know where they came from," he said. He said the drones were detected only in that area, with the third one furthest away.

Reaction time was very short, Mihaylov said. There were no forces or equipment nearby that could quickly intercept and destroy the drones.