All 18 crew members of the container ship CONTSHIP JET, which sea drones hit off Cape Kaliakra today, have been rescued. They are sailing to Varna on a navy ship, the Ministry of Transport and Communications said.

Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced the attack earlier today in Sofia, where the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania were meeting. By then the crew had left the ship on life rafts.

How it all started: Sea drones hit container ship off Cape Kaliakra, crew on rafts

At 12.01pm the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Constanta reported that sea drones had hit the Liberian-flagged container ship about 17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra. The crew left the ship by themselves at 12.13pm.

A search and rescue operation began at once. Three navy vessels and a Border Police directorate ship headed to the site. At 12.53pm a navy boat picked up 8 of the sailors. The other 10 were in the ship's lifeboat.

The ship was sailing from the port of Haifa in Israel to Constanta in Romania. The crew say there are 421 containers on board.

The Emergency Rescue Activities directorate of the Maritime Administration, the Navy and Air Force of the Defence Ministry, and the Border Police directorate of the Interior Ministry took part. The transport ministry said the three agencies acted promptly and in coordination.

Transport minister Georgi Peev thanked the rescuers for their professionalism and quick response, which saved lives.

Border Police and medical teams will meet the sailors in Varna.

Updated (28.10, 15:09): The strike happened about 21 nautical miles south-east of Shabla, not about 17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra as first reported, defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov said, BTA reported. He said three sea drones hit the container ship.