Israeli-linked cargo ship sunk in drone attack

Cargo vessel operated by Israeli shipping company sunk in drone attack in the Black Sea.

By World Israel News Staff

A cargo ship operated by Israeli shipping company ZIM sank in the Black Sea on Thursday after being attacked by three maritime drones off the Bulgarian coast, authorities confirmed, marking the latest in a series of strikes against commercial vessels in the region.

The Liberian-flagged Contship Jet, which was owned and managed by Greek shipping interests and chartered by ZIM, was traveling from Israel’s Port of Haifa to the Romanian port of Constanța when it came under attack Wednesday afternoon.

All 18 crew members, including 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were successfully evacuated by Bulgarian naval and border police vessels and transported to the port city of Varna for medical examinations.

The ship, which was carrying 421 containers, subsequently sank with its cargo aboard.

According to Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, the vessel was struck approximately 21 nautical miles southeast of Cape Shabla, within Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone but outside its territorial waters.

Bulgarian military officials said the attack began around noon Wednesday, with three separate impacts recorded on the ship’s hull.

A French maritime patrol aircraft operating over the western Black Sea detected the approaching naval drones and alerted Bulgarian authorities. The Bulgarian Navy also observed the attack through its coastal surveillance systems.

Despite the warning, the drones reached the container ship before authorities could intervene.

Three Bulgarian naval vessels were dispatched to the scene, where crew members had begun abandoning the damaged ship. Some sailors escaped onto a life raft as another maritime drone reportedly approached the area, raising fears of an additional strike.

The rescue operation was completed later Wednesday, with all crew members brought to safety.

ZIM confirmed the incident in a statement issued to customers Wednesday, saying the Contship Jet had “been impacted by a drone” while sailing toward Romania.

The company emphasized that the vessel was chartered rather than owned by ZIM and confirmed that “all crew members were safely evacuated.”

ZIM said it was maintaining contact with the vessel’s owners and working to assess the condition of the ship and its cargo while communicating with affected customers.

Oren Caspi, chairman of ZIM’s workers’ union, told Israel Hayom that significant questions remained unanswered.

“There is still much we don’t know about this attack, and we are continuing to gather details,” Caspi said.

Footage circulated by Bulgarian maritime media and on social networks showed what appeared to be an unmanned surface vessel approaching the ship from its starboard side. Additional footage showed the damaged container ship sinking beneath the water.

Bulgarian authorities confirmed Thursday that the vessel had gone down, raising concerns over the environmental consequences of the sinking.

According to maritime reports, the cargo included lithium-ion batteries, flammable liquids, gases, corrosive chemicals and industrial materials.

Bulgarian naval teams conducted inspections and collected water samples from several locations along the country’s Black Sea coast. Initial findings revealed no visible signs of pollution, although monitoring was continuing.

The identity of those responsible for the attack remained unclear Thursday.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of an escalating series of drone attacks against merchant shipping in the western Black Sea, amid Russia’s continuing war against Ukraine.

Bulgarian officials said at least six commercial vessels had been attacked off the country’s coast this month, with approximately two dozen sailors feared dead or missing in the wider series of incidents.

Russia has not claimed responsibility for the latest attack, although suspicion has increasingly focused on Moscow.

Earlier this month, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev acknowledged that the circumstances suggested Russian involvement but cautioned that definitive evidence was lacking.

“The logic points in that direction,” Radev told parliament, adding, “The problem is that we cannot prove it.”

The sinking came as the defense ministers of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, all NATO members with Black Sea coastlines, gathered in Sofia for talks focused on maritime security.

The three countries issued a joint condemnation of the attacks and called for stronger cooperation to protect civilian shipping.

“Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye unequivocally condemn drone attacks against commercial vessels in the Black Sea,” Stoyanov declared following the meeting.

The ministers warned that the attacks represented a dangerous escalation and threatened freedom of navigation, commercial trade and regional stability.

They also agreed to expand intelligence sharing, improve early-warning systems and strengthen coordination against maritime threats.

NATO has already begun reinforcing its defenses along the alliance’s eastern flank, including measures to counter unmanned aerial and maritime systems.

The latest sinking follows several other deadly incidents involving civilian vessels in the Black Sea this month.

On October 23, the cargo ship Khoryv sank near Romania after a drone strike that killed at least one crew member and left three others missing.