Military prosecutors in Sofia have opened an investigation into an attack on the Malta-flagged ship "CHELSEA 3" in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. The prosecutor's office said the case follows a report of breaches of the international rules of war.

Prosecutors opened the case with a decree dated 16 October 2026, under Article 412, points "a" and "e" of the Criminal Code. The decree says the act took place in October 2026 and broke the international rules of war. It says an order was given "to kill civilians – the crew of 'CHELSEA 3', sailing under the Maltese flag".

An order was also given to destroy property on a large scale, namely the ship itself.

The report came from the foundation Bulgarian Lawyers for Human Rights and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. It says the breach happened in Bulgaria's economic zone. The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office passed it to military prosecutors, who have jurisdiction.

The supervising prosecutor gave the investigation to a military investigator at the Military District Prosecutor's Office in Sofia. A separate decree tells another military investigator to carry out specific steps in the area covered by the Military District Prosecutor's Office in Sliven.

The chief secretary of the Interior Ministry must organise the instructions in the decree that fall to the ministry. They include finding witnesses, establishing where "CHELSEA 3" is, and taking other steps to clarify the case and identify anyone who may be involved.

On 16 October we reported that the attacked ship "Chelsea-3" would be towed to the port of Burgas in a second attempt, after the first was called off because of bad weather. The ship was about 10 km east of the resort of Lozenets.

The investigation must establish who owns the ship, who made up the crew, what route the ship was taking and why, and what cargo and/or passengers it was carrying.

Updated (16.10, 20:01): The ship was attacked 17 nautical miles east of Byala, not about 10 km east of the Lozenets resort as first reported, BTA says. Drones carried out the attack, and all 15 crew members were rescued. Another ship, the HS Dignity, which sails under the flag of Guinea-Bissau, was hit by a drone and sank the same distance east of Shabla.