The European Commission announced that it is ready to cooperate with Bulgaria and Romania following the drone attacks in the Black Sea

On Thursday, the European Commission denounced drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea, calling them a dangerous and unacceptable escalation amid Russia’s war against Ukraine. The reaction came after the container ship Contship Jet was struck on Wednesday by three surface drones off the Bulgarian coast.

The vessel, owned by a Greek company, had departed from the Israeli port of Haifa for Constanța, carrying 421 containers. The attack occurred approximately 17 nautical miles from Cape Kaliakra. After the crew was evacuated, the vessel drifted and sank on Thursday morning, about 36 nautical miles from Varna.

The 18 crew members—14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians—were rescued unharmed by a Bulgarian military vessel. The evacuation was possible after a French Atlantique 2 reconnaissance aircraft alerted the authorities to the presence of the drones.

The European Commission warns that the attacks threaten maritime security, global trade, food security, and supply chains. The EU executive announced that it is ready to cooperate with Bulgaria and Romania on operationalizing the maritime security hub in the Black Sea.

The incident is the fifth drone attack on a commercial vessel off Bulgaria since the beginning of October. Four of the vessels sank, and 21 sailors are still missing.