Türkiye, Bulgaria and Romania have agreed to strengthen coordination over commercial shipping in the Black Sea after a container ship was struck by three maritime drones off Bulgaria’s coast.
The Liberian-flagged Contship Jet was travelling from Haifa, Israel, to Constanța, Romania, when it was hit inside Bulgaria’s exclusive economic zone. All 18 crew members were evacuated and rescued. The cargo in its 421 containers was not immediately known.
The incident unfolded as defence ministers and military chiefs from the three NATO members met in Sofia. Their joint statement condemned attacks on commercial vessels and maritime infrastructure and called for them to stop immediately. The countries also agreed to improve information-sharing, early warning and coordination.
Türkiye’s Defence Minister Yaşar Güler urged Russia and Ukraine to keep commercial shipping out of the conflict. He said Ankara reserved its legal rights if Turkish-flagged or Turkish-operated vessels were targeted. The identity of those behind Wednesday’s strike had not been established.
Image: Rasmus Andersen / Unsplash
