Three Drones Strike CONTSHIP JET; Crew Abandons Ship
AI illustrationThree maritime drones struck the container ship Contship Jet in the Black Sea on Wednesday, forcing its 18-member crew to abandon ship, Bulgaria's defence minister confirmed.
The Liberian-flagged ship was sailing from Haifa, Israel, to Constanța, Romania, when the attack hit about 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla, near Cape Kaliakra on Bulgaria's northern coast. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov confirmed the attack to reporters. The Bulgarian state news agency BTA reported no casualties.
A UK shipping company said the Contship Jet was listing and had lost containers overboard. The crew took to life rafts after being warned that a third drone was approaching. Bulgarian border police and naval ships went out to rescue them.
The attack happened as the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey met in Sofia for a trilateral session on Black Sea maritime security. All three countries issued a joint statement condemning attacks on civilian shipping.
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Rumen Radev told parliament earlier this month that evidence points toward Russia for the series of attacks on merchant ships in the region, but acknowledged it cannot be proven. Russia has not claimed responsibility.
The Contship Jet strike is the latest in a run of attacks on commercial ships off Bulgaria and Romania. It followed the sinking of the cargo ship Khoryv off Romania's coast on 23 October.
Three Drones Strike CONTSHIP JET; Crew Abandons Ship
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