In brief
The CONTSHIP JET sank after a three‑drone attack east of Cape Kaliakra on 28 October 2026. All 18 crew members were rescued, and the incident triggered extensive marine sampling to detect hidden contaminants. Bulgarian authorities and the European Commission are coordinating investigation and environmental monitoring.
On Wednesday, 28 October 2026, the container vessel CONTSHIP JET sank after being struck by three maritime drones 21 nautical miles southeast of Shabla, east of Cape Kaliakra.
According to the Maritime Administration Executive Agency, the ship carried 421 containers, including lithium‑ion batteries and gas oil; 20 containers fell overboard during the impact.
All 18 crew members were rescued and brought to Varna, where the Varna Regional Administration confirmed the sinking occurred around midnight.
Initial assessments by maritime experts said no significant adverse effects were foreseen; the vessel’s gas oil was expected to evaporate quickly and not reach the Bulgarian coast.
While the French patrol aircraft detected the drones at least half an hour before the attack, Bulgarian defensive units had no legal authority to engage them outside territorial waters, according to Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Defence Ministry officials.
In response, the Environment and Water Ministry launched extensive seawater sampling on Thursday, planning to collect samples at five coastal sites—Durankulak, Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Byala, and Sozopol—plus an area surrounding the wreck.
Samples will be analysed in the Executive Environment Agency’s regional laboratories in Varna and Burgas for petroleum products, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals, and other physicochemical indicators of water quality, including changes that cannot be detected by visual inspection alone.
Defence Ministry field teams already collected samples from two locations in Bulgarian territorial waters and reported no visible signs of pollution; measurements near Sozopol showed no abnormalities in dissolved oxygen.
The Sofia Military District Prosecution Office opened a pre‑trial investigation into alleged violations of international law and the Penal Code, claiming that the drone attack on a neutral‑flagged vessel in Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone may constitute prohibited warfare.
Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov noted that 20 of the ship’s containers fell overboard, and that the vessel was carrying various hazardous cargoes.
"We are not at war," said outgoing Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov during an interview; he emphasized that the drones approached from the east but had not entered Bulgarian territorial waters.
European Commission officials expressed full solidarity with Bulgaria, calling the attacks part of a broader pattern linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine and urging cooperation to strengthen maritime security.
All laboratory results are expected within the next weeks and will be made public by the Executive Environment Agency, as the Bulgarian authorities continue monitoring the marine environment and coordinating with NATO partners.
