Contship Jet sinks off Bulgaria after sea-drone strike as Black Sea attacks mount
All 18 crew were rescued and taken to Varna; at least 20 containers went overboard before the 1,276 teu feeder sank
The containership Contship Jet sank off Bulgaria around midnight on 28 October, about 12 hours after three sea drones struck her roughly 17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra, near Varna. The impacts started a fire and left the ship with a heavy list. Bulgarian authorities confirmed the sinking on the morning of 29 October. Responsibility for the attack has not been established.
The Liberian-flagged ship, built in 2007 with a capacity of 1,276 teu and about 18,000 dwt, has been operated by Contships Management of Greece since 2019. She was deployed on ZIM's Levant-Black Sea Express service and was sailing from Haifa and Ashdod towards Constanța with 421 containers on board.
What happened to the crew and cargo?
The Bulgarian Navy sent three vessels and the Border Police one. Eight seafarers were evacuated from the ship and ten more were found in the lifeboat. All 18, 14 from the Philippines and four from Ukraine, were in good condition and were taken to Varna. A French maritime patrol aircraft over the western Black Sea had spotted the approaching drones and alerted the navy's operations centre; France moved an Atlantique 2 aircraft to an air base in Romania on 18 October for surveillance flights until 6 November.
At least 20 containers fell overboard before the ship went down, and navigational warnings have been issued. Some of the boxes reportedly held flammable liquids, gases and other hazardous materials.
Contship Jet was the ninth merchant ship struck in the western Black Sea since the start of October, and by one count 34 seafarers have been killed or are missing in those attacks. Russia's defence ministry claimed on 28 October that its drones had hit an unidentified dry cargo ship heading for Chornomorsk, and on 29 October another general cargo ship bound for Odesa. Neither claim has been verified and no ship names were given.
How are the coastal states responding?
The attack came as the defence ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey met in Sofia. They called for "an immediate halt to attacks that threaten commercial vessels, maritime infrastructure, and the safety of maritime activities" and agreed to strengthen intelligence sharing and early warning. Turkey's Yasar Guler said his country reserves its legal rights and may pursue legal action over attacks on Turkish-flagged or Turkish-operated ships.
Bulgaria is also watching the capsized cargo ship Khoryv, struck on 23 October with one crew member killed and three missing, as it drifts south-west about 13 nautical miles east of Cape Sivri Burun. Ships have been told to stay at least half a nautical mile away. Her sinking off Constanța was reported here on 28 October.
Between July and September at least 387 ships were attacked in the Black Sea, five times as many as in the previous quarter, and around 570 have been targeted since the war began. At least 40 seafarers have been killed. War-risk insurance has reached 15% of a ship's hull value, almost double the Persian Gulf rate, and Ukraine's Greater Odesa ports handled 10 ship crossings in September against about 400 in July.
This story is part of the Maritime Briefing of 30 October 2026.
