Archive location photo: Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria, July 2011, not the attack. Arkadiusz Markiewicz / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0; cropped.
The ZIM-chartered container ship Contship Jet sank in the Black Sea after a sea-drone attack off Bulgaria, according to an official navigational warning, while Bulgarian authorities said all 18 crew members had been rescued.
The ministry’s October 28 account of the rescue placed the attack about 17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra. The vessel was sailing from Haifa, Israel, to Constanta, Romania, carrying 421 containers, according to information provided by its crew.
The rescue involved Bulgaria’s Maritime Administration, navy, air force and border police. The ministry said the operation to save the entire crew had been completed and that arrangements were made for border police and medical teams to receive the sailors in Varna.
Shipping company ZIM separately confirmed in a customer advisory that the ship was chartered by it and had been impacted by a drone while heading to Constanta. ZIM said the vessel’s owners had reported that all crew members were safely evacuated. The company said it was assessing the vessel and cargo and contacting affected customers.
Wreck and drifting containers pose a danger
Varna Radio navigational warning 768/26 records the sinking at 20:30 UTC on Wednesday, October 28, southeast of Cape Kaliakra. It identifies the vessel by IMO number 9348625 and reports more than 20 containers adrift in the area.
The warning says the lost cargo includes flammable gases, non-flammable non-toxic gases, flammable liquids and other dangerous goods. It describes the wreck and drifting containers as an immediate danger to navigation and advises extreme caution.
Varna Radio’s service description identifies the Bulgarian Navy’s Hydrographic Service as the source of its navigational warnings. The warning establishes a shipping hazard; it does not quantify a spill or establish a confirmed impact on the coastline.
Distress report received from Romania
Bulgaria’s account sets out a rapid sequence of events after the vessel was struck. The maritime rescue coordination center in Constanta notified Bulgarian authorities at 12:01 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, the ministry said.
The crew abandoned the ship at 12:13 p.m. A search-and-rescue operation was declared, and three Bulgarian naval vessels and a border police ship were directed toward the incident area.
By 12:53 p.m., eight sailors had been taken aboard a naval craft. The other 10 were in the ship’s lifeboat. The ministry subsequently reported that all 18 had been rescued and were being transported toward Varna aboard a naval vessel.
Container ship was bound for Constanta
The ministry identified Contship Jet as a Liberian-flagged container vessel on the Haifa-Constanta route. Its account attributed the figure of 421 containers to the crew, rather than presenting it as an independently inspected cargo manifest.
The vessel’s listing on the Contships Logistics website identifies it by IMO number 9348625 and lists a length of 159.8 meters, gross tonnage of 14,016 and a construction year of 2007. That listing also gives Liberia as its flag.
The ministry’s rescue statement says the ship was hit by sea drones. It does not identify who launched them or establish a motive. The later navigational warning confirms the sinking and the danger from drifting cargo, but does not identify the attacker.
What the official rescue account confirms
The confirmed outcome in the ministry’s statement is that every member of the 18-person crew was saved. Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Peev thanked the participating teams for their coordinated response and work protecting human life.
The ministry’s location figure is approximately 17 nautical miles east of Cape Kaliakra. Its statement is the source for the rescue timeline, the route and the crew-reported container count. Responsibility for the attack remains unestablished in that account.
JBizNews Desk | Black Sea
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