In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, October 7, von der Leyen said: “Commercial ships and innocent crews are being targeted, with lives already lost at sea. Today, two commercial vessels were hit in Bulgaria’s economic zone in the Black Sea. This comes just a day after a Turkish ship carrying Ukrainian grain was struck and sunk off the Romanian coast. While exact circumstances of these incidents are still being established, the developments are very concerning. Attacks on civilian shipping are unacceptable. We stand in full solidarity with our Member States on the Eastern flank.”
Her warning follows two consecutive days of incidents that have rattled maritime security.
*Second day: Two ships hit off Bulgaria*
On Monday night into Tuesday morning, two commercial vessels were struck by drones inside Bulgaria’s Exclusive Economic Zone, about 80 nautical miles east of Byala and Cape St. Athanasius.
According to Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who convened an emergency security meeting, the vessels were the Togo-flagged general cargo ship ALFA WATAN and the Palau-flagged ABLE. Both issued distress signals around 4 a.m.
The ALFA WATAN suffered critical structural damage and sank on the spot. As of Tuesday morning, the fate of its crew remains unknown and search-and-rescue operations are ongoing.
The ABLE caught fire after the strike. Its 18-person crew was forced to abandon ship and was rescued by the Bulgarian ferry DIOSCURIA. Two sailors were seriously injured and airlifted to Varna for emergency treatment. Bulgarian maritime risk group Vanguard and Bulgarian National Radio confirmed the rescue.
The origin of the drones that hit the Bulgarian zone has not been officially confirmed. Authorities say investigations are underway.
*First day: Turkish grain ship sunk off Romania*
The Bulgarian incident came just 24 hours after a deadly attack in Romania’s waters.
On October 5-6, the Turkish-owned bulk carrier Royad Mammadov, sailing under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, was hit while carrying corn from Ukraine’s port of Izmail to Ravenna, Italy. The ship had departed in mid-September and was about 30 nautical miles south of Sfantu Gheorghe when it caught fire after what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a strike by two Russian drones.
Romania’s Interior Ministry confirmed two crew members died and 11 were rescued, including three injured who were airlifted by helicopter. The crew included Azerbaijani and Indian nationals. Zelensky said the captain was among those killed.
Russia has not officially commented on either incident, though its defense ministry claimed on October 5 that its forces had struck two cargo vessels.
The Black Sea has become an increasingly dangerous corridor since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Turkey’s Chamber of Maritime Commerce says 226 civilian and commercial vessels have been attacked in the Black Sea since the war began, with the vast majority this year.
The attacks inside the economic zones of Bulgaria and Romania – both NATO members – mark the first reported strikes on commercial shipping inside the exclusive waters of a NATO state, prompting fresh concerns over freedom of navigation, global food security, and escalation in the region.